Excitotoxic Mechanisms in Alcoholic Brain Damage

长期酗酒造成的脑损伤局限于大脑的不同区域，并选择性地损害关键的神经心理功能。酒精滥用会影响大脑中控制兴奋性的过程，导致脑细胞过度刺激。当这种情况持续很长一段时间时，细胞很可能会死亡，大多数酗酒者在成年后的大部分时间里都会滥用酒精。我们将在酒精中毒选择性受损的区域研究人脑S利用谷氨酸的能力和对谷氨酸的反应能力。谷氨酸是谷氨酸的主要天然刺激物。这些能力是如何受到遗传以及通常与酒精中毒相关的疾病(如肝硬变)影响的，也将被探索。如果我们能了解酗酒者选择性脑损伤是如何发生的，我们就能更好地设计新的药物疗法来对抗和预防它。此外，局限性脑损伤是许多神经疾病的一个特征，因此这项研究将提供疾病机制的一般模型。

Brain damage resulting from long-term alcohol abuse is localized to discrete regions of the brain and selectively impairs key neuropsychological functions. Alcohol misuse affects processes that control excitability in the brain, leading to the over-stimulation of brain cells. When this continues for long periods the cells are likely to die and most alcoholics misuse alcohol for most of their adult lives. We will study the human brain s capacity to use and respond to glutamate, its major natural excitant, in the regions that are selectively damaged by alcoholism. How these capacities are affected by heredity, and by diseases commonly associated with alcoholism such as cirrhosis of the liver, will also be explored. If we can understand how selective brain damage occurs in alcoholics we will be better able to devise new drug therapies to combat and prevent it. As well, localized brain damage is a feature of many neurological diseases, so the study will provide a general model of disease mechanisms.