What Alcohol Really Does To Your Brain

Medulla

Automatic functions Alcohol makes you sleepy

Cerebellum

Balance Alcohol makes you clumsy

Alcohol affects brain by affecting neurotransmitters:

Chemical messengers that send signals throughout body. 2 neurotransmitters: excitatory and inhibitory

Inhibitory neurotransmitter

GABA Reduce energy levels, sedation Alcohol increases GABA and inhibitory neurotransmitter

Excitatory neurotransmitter

Glutamate Increase brain activity and energy Alcohol suppresses glutamate and excitatory neurotransmitter, sluggish

Hypothalamus and pituitary gland

Increase in sexual urges, but decrease in sexual performance

Alcohol increases dopamine in reward center

Motivates you to keep drinking

Cerebral cortex

thought processing and consciousness Alcohol makes you less inhibited More difficult to think clearly