Psychology lab. Ethanol Impairment Study. Effects of Alcohol

Ethanol Impairment StudyYour NameSubject and SectionProfessor’s NameNovember 14, 2019
Abstract
Ethanol, a psychoactive chemical, can alter thinking as well as behavior. Influencing how the neurons in the brain interact with each other, the effect of ethanol can significantly affect motor performance. Commonly known as the primary chemical found in alcoholic beverages, ethanol has the potential of causing various degrees of impairment. When consuming alcohol, once it has been absorbed by the gastrointestinal system, the ethanol soon enters the bloodstream where it begins to affect brain function. Studies have been done with both men and women in order to understand the different behavioral effects of ethanol. To confirm whether the biological differences between men and women impact how ethanol acts in the body, this paper explores the results of an experimental rat study on the subject of ethanol impairment.
Keywords: ethanol impairment, rat study, sex differences
Alcohol (alcoholic beverages) has been one of the most consumed beverages in the whole world. In the United States, for example, it is estimated that 86.3% of the whole population, 18 years old or older, have drank alcohol over the course of their lifetime CITATION Bal181 \l 1033 (Balentine, 2018). Accordingly, this popularity and widespread consumption (or abuse) of this beverage has prompted hundreds of extensive studies on how alcohol effects the brain and behavior. Nevertheless, in order to identify why and how the process of impairment takes place, it is important to analyze the different ways in which alcohol can affect the body.
Effects of Alcohol
Historically, alcohol has had a negative influence on cognitive and motor functions (Kumar et al., 2009). Ethanol, the main chemical found in alcohol, is responsible for causing intoxication, as it passes into the bloodstream. Once it binds to neurotransmitter receptors in the brain, it causes the symptoms most commonly associated with alcohol impairment such as euphoria, poor balance and coordination, and slurred speech, among others. In the case of ethanol, it mainly binds to GABA-A receptors, which stimulates their abilities to inhibit cognitive functions and cause lack of control over movements, feelings of pleasure, relief, and sedation.
While the effects of alcohol on the brain is a well-studied subject, recent studies have taken a deeper look at the consequences of alcohol use. Most notably associated with the potential to cause disorders such as alcoholism and alcohol dependence. Other studies have also shown individual differences are vital when examining how ethanol reacts in the body.
Effects of Novelty Seeking
Recent studies about the varying effects of alcohol on different individuals, also tend to focus on the relationship between novelty seeking and alcoholism. Accordingly, two dominant theories that try to explain why novelty seekers are more prone to alcoholism provide that (1) novelty-seekers are more inclined to highly-sociable environments and (2) that the physiological and psychological makeup of low and high novelty seekers are affect differently.
On the one hand, several scholars argue that the reason why novelty seekers are prone to alcoholism is because of the fact tha...