Hangovers are a Mystery

Blog Post #2

Elise Howard

       It is amazing to me that with the clear problem that alcohol poses in our society we do not know much about the after effects that it has on the body; namely, alcohol-induced hangovers.  I for one was under the impression that hangovers were definitively caused by dehydration that excessive drinking causes, however there is little empirical evidence backing this up. Some studies have shown that there are biological changes that occur during a hangover the day after drinking excessively such as increases in vasopressin, aldosterone, and rennin in the endocrine system which cause symptoms that mimic the effects of dehydration like dry mouth and thirst. Biological changes in the immune system were also seen during a hangover including increases in concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokine and interferon-gamma which are associated with the more cognitive symptoms of a hangover like memory impairment and different mood changes. Recent research found that cytokines are core in the communication between the immune system and the central nervous system and the effect that cytokines have on the body are very similar to the symptoms of a hangover (Verster, 2008).

       Up and above biological changes that are seen during a hangover state, there are many other factors that may contribute to the presence of a hangover or even the severity of one. A second issue that may be a factor into the underlying mechanisms of a hangover is the inherent lack of sleep that typically comes with excessive drinking. Also, as discussed about in class, the types of alcohol consumed potentially contribute to the severity of a hangover mainly due to the amount of congeners in specific spirits (Verster, 2008). A study by Verster (2006) showed that it takes fewer high-congener drinks to experience a hangover.

Overall, there should be more studies in the future that focus on the underlying mechanisms that cause hangovers. Alcohol plays a very major and typically troubling role in American society and hangovers are inherent problems that come with this issue.

References

Verster, J. C. (2006). Congeners and alcohol hangover: Differences in severity among Dutch college 
        students consuming beer, wine or liquor. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 30(6).

Verster, J. C. (2008). The alcohol hangover--a puzzling phenomenon. Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire), 43(2), 124–6. doi:10.1093/alcalc/agm163

Involvement of the Endocannabinoid System in Drug Addiction - Elise Howard

Elise Howard

May 19, 2013

Blog Post #1

Involvement of the Endocannabinoid system in Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is characterized by actual physiologic changes in the brain which in turn leads to drug seeking behaviors even in the face of the many negative aspects that drug addiction is associated with. Not only do commonly abused drugs have reinforcing factors that make them easy to abuse, they also produce negative consequences that lead to potential relapse when going through withdrawal. It is important to note that there are reward pathways in the body that are some of the primary suspects concerning drug (and potentially other types) of addiction. The article by Maldonado, Valverde, and Berrendero (2006) looks into the potential of the endocannabinoid system (a reward system) and cannabinoid receptors (CB₁ and CB₂) as a route of drug addiction for multiple types of drugs; more specifically, CB₁ (Maldonado, Valverde, & Berrendero, 2006).

Studies using the selective CB₁ receptor antagonist rimonabant have shown that the CB₁ receptors do in fact play a large role in nicotine addiction which is promising for the future of possible tobacco addiction medications. In the case of alcohol addiction, the endocannabinoid system seems to play a role in addiction by regulating the rewarding effects to activating mesolimbic dopamine transmission. An interesting interaction exists between the endocannabinoid system and opioids; while the endocannabinoid system is crucial in the rewarding effects that opioids induce, it also plays a very important role in the physical dependence.  Psychostimulants work a little differently on the endocannabinoid system than the drugs mentioned before.  It works directly on the mesolimbic dopamingergic terminals. The article states that the endocannabinoid system does not contribute in the primary reinforcing effects of psychostimulants, but it is very important for preserving the drug seeking behavior (Maldonado, Valverde, & Berrendero, 2006).

                Overall, there needs to be more research into the mechanisms of the endocannabinoid system so that we can continue to make steps toward medications that can help with drug addiction as drug addiction is due to neurobiological changes in the brain, which may not necessarily be the predominant thought about the people who are addicted.  

Maldonado, R., Valverde, O., & Berrendero, F. (2006). Involvement of the endocannabinoid system in drug addiction. Trends in neurosciences, 29(4), 225–32. doi:10.1016/j.tins.2006.01.008