Alcohol's Path to Intoxication

Alcohol abuse is an issue of both old and new generations. Leaving not one continent untouched, alcohol raises economic and health issues around the world. Alcohol abuse is a disease that is characterized by a pattern of excessive drinking despite the negative effects of alcohol on the individual’s work, health, legal, educational, and/or social life. Alcohol abuse affects approximately 10% of women and 20% of men within the United States. Given this information, a search for a pharmacological treatment seems necessary in an age where alcohol is an everyday commodity. In order to make that a reality, scientists have researched the mechanisms in which alcohol (ethanol) alters the nervous system.
The studies have revealed that ethanol has been found to modulate signal transduction through cascades that involve PKA and PKC pathways. Also, ethanol’s effect on the brain (via the previously mentioned cascades) has been observed on genetically engineered mice. This has led to the discovery that specific regions of the brain are involved with ethanol’s effects depending on the presence of signaling molecules. An example of this can be seen by examining the NMDA receptor and its sensitive response to ethanol. DARRP-32 and Fyn kinase regulate the NMDA receptor in the hippocampus. The PKC pathway also plays a role in which isozymes on GABA_A receptors are the area of interest. PKCg has been shown to support ethanol enhancement of GABA_A receptors and PKCe is an inhibitor.
This research has led to a greater understanding of how ethanol’s mechanism works within the brain, but the specific molecular mechanisms remain uncertain. If scientists are able to identify the specific genes that act in the brain in the presence of ethanol, then the targeted gene can be modulated to alter behavioral responses to ethanol. In the best possible scenario, this would lead to potential drug targets for treatment of alcohol abusers. This would be beneficial to some, but to others, just an escape from the alcohol’s grip. If a drug were to succeed in a fight against alcoholism, certain moral factors need to be implemented in the sale of it. Only those that really need it (alcoholics) ought to be the only ones prescribed. However the drug is used, it is still an area of great interest in a world that struggles with alcohol abuse.