How does alcohol influence the brain?
theneurosphere.com
How does alcohol influence the brain?
1–10 of 36 posts
Re: How does alcohol influence the brain?
#2The article uses the word "mind" in its title, but the article is strict neuroscience, i.e. it discusses the brain from a biological perspective. The word "mind" never appears again. The mind (psychology) is not the brain (neuroscience).
Re: How does alcohol influence the brain?
#3The article uses the word "mind" in its title, but the article is strict neuroscience, i.e. it discusses the brain from a biological perspective. The word "mind" never appears again. The mind (psychology) is not the brain (neuroscience).
A bit of a nitpick (but I guess that's the HN spirit)? Just different levels of abstraction. The dream would be to be able to put all these levels of abstractions together, and have good mappings between them. Basically, I think you're painting a false dichotomy.
Just like the execution of a program can be described in Machine Code, 1's and 0's or even as electricity, or any other layer of abstraction.
Re: How does alcohol influence the brain?
#4Interesting read, drinking makes it easier to be addicted to other things. I wonder how strong of an effect this would be.
Re: How does alcohol influence the brain?
#5The article uses the word "mind" in its title, but the article is strict neuroscience, i.e. it discusses the brain from a biological perspective. The word "mind" never appears again. The mind (psychology) is not the brain (neuroscience).
Ok, we'll s/mind/brain/, but please let's not have an off-topic thread about this.
Re: How does alcohol influence the brain?
#6The article uses the word "mind" in its title, but the article is strict neuroscience, i.e. it discusses the brain from a biological perspective. The word "mind" never appears again. The mind (psychology) is not the brain (neuroscience).
A bit of a nitpick (but I guess that's the HN spirit)? Just different levels of abstraction. The dream would be to be able to put all these levels of abstractions together, and have good mappings between them. Basically, I think you're painting a false dichotomy. Just like the execution of a program can be described in Machine Code, 1's and 0's or even as electricity, or any other layer of abstraction.
I'm not so sure. The title should be relevant to the layer of abstraction used. You're talking of abstractions as if there is a beginning and an end level, but what if there isn't?
Re: How does alcohol influence the brain?
#7The article is interesting on a chemical level and explains the biochemical reactions really well.
What I am really interested in is a higher level study on overall social and cognitive results of moderate drinking.
I bet you 'll find plenty of anecdotal opinions with claims that small amounts of alcohol help with coding and also social awkwardness
Re: How does alcohol influence the brain?
#8 I take it you mean what influence alcohol has on the brain. It´s effect is to constrict the blood vessels going to the brain with the consequence that less oxygen can get there which gives you that woozy feeling when you imbibe too excess.
Re: How does alcohol influence the brain?
#9Am I wrong to read this as alcohol being some kind of actual gateway drug? Not in the sense that it brings you in contact with other drugs, but more susceptible to addiction to them?
> The fact that repeated alcohol exposure reduces production of this receptor means that over time, drinking disrupts the brain’s normal brakes on dopamine release. In rats, this is known to speed up the development of addiction to anything from cocaine, to sugar and food. All of this points to a somewhat worrying reality – in consuming alcohol, people make their brains increasingly sensitive to the experience of reward that comes with substances like alcohol, drugs and food, which gradually makes people more desperate to seek them out.
Re: How does alcohol influence the brain?
#10The article is interesting on a chemical level and explains the biochemical reactions really well. What I am really interested in is a higher level study on overall social and cognitive results of moderate drinking. I bet you 'll find plenty of anecdotal opinions with claims that small amounts of alcohol help with coding and also social awkwardness
I've told that before, but I'll say it once more. Some people are badly calibrated. Two drinks don't make us drunk, they make us normal. I'm not incapacitated, not foolish, not violent, just in tune with the others. Alcohol is the bit of jitter that make the system not corner itself.