Transcript Alcohol on the nervous system

Alcohol and Marijuana
on the Central Nervous
System
By: Melissa and Andrew
Alcohol and the Central Nervous
System
• Alcohol is a central nervous system
depressant.
• Alcohol contracts brain tissue and
depresses the central nervous system.
When alcohol reaches the brain, it
interferes with communication between
nerve cells, by interacting with the
receptors on some cells.
What is alcohol?
• Alcohol gets into the bloodstream very easily
and also crosses the blood brain barrier (which
prevents materials from the blood from entering
the brain.)
• There are many neurochemical effects of
alcohol which alter the hormone levels.
• Alcohol affects the nervous system by slowing
down the signals between the spinal chord,
nerve system and the brain. The alcohol is
absorbed by the blood which slows down the
nerve tissues which may lead to numbness.
SHORT TERM effects on the
central nervous system
• slurred speech, blurred vision, and poor muscle
coordination. It is often seen that after drinking
too much a person becomes clumsy and unable to walk
steadily
• Alcohol (a depressant) slows the nervous
system down which is responsible for the
decision making.
• bodily functions will slow down because the
alcohol delays the messages you are sending to
your brain relating to motions you want your
body to make.
LONG TERM effects of alcohol on
the central nervous system
• tolerance, dependency, and irreversible damage to the
liver and other organs.
• The cells become weaker to alcohol. These unhealthy
cells weaken the nervous system a lot. Also, the high
tolerance level of a person to the alcohol, makes him
more prone to various kinds of infections. Severe
consequences like - heart attacks, brain strokes and
dementia may also appear.
• Alcohol can damage both the frontal lobes, it also
reduces the brain weight and the brain size. The
frontal lobes control major functions, reasoning and
memory.
The Central Nervous System
• The central nervous system includes the
Brain and the Spinal Cord.
• The Brain contains 100 billion nerve cells
called neurons and trillions of “support
cells” called gila.
Marijuana and the
Central Nervous System
• Marijuana attaches to neurons and
interferes with communication in the brain.
• Experiments have shown that Marijuana
can affect two neurotransmitters:
norepinephrine and dopamine. Serotonin
and GABA levels may also be altered.
• Serotonin and GABA regulate brain
activity.
THC
• The chemical in marijuana that has the
biggest impact on the brain is
tetrahydrocannibol or THC.
• THC attacks certain receptors that control
memory, thought, concentration, time and
depth perception, and coordinated
movement. THC also affects re-uptake of
Marijuana.
Short Term Effects
• Marijuana changes the way our brain
processes information. Which is why short
term memory is often effected first.
• Marijuana interferes with the receiving of
sensory messages such as touch, sight,
hearing, taste, and smell.
• Affects the limbic system which controls
emotions.
Long Term Effects
• Testing on rats show that marijuana use
can lead to permanent memory
impairment
Which One is Worse?
• Alcohol has a greater effect on the central
nervous system than marijuana because
while the short term effects of the two
drugs are very similar, dizziness, memory
loss, and interference with brain signals,
the long term effect of Alcohol are much
worse including stroke and permanent
brain damage.