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Abuse of alcohol and other substances alters the brain.

Abuse of alcohol and other substances alters the brain.

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Cognitive flexibility is the ability to adjust to changing conditions in order to get the best results.

Researchers are still trying to understand the interactions and alterations that take place when certain medications have an impact on cognitive flexibility.

The relationship between impaired cognitive flexibility and cocaine and alcohol usage was recently investigated.

The information provided a crucial understanding of the underlying neuronal networks underlying these alterations in the brain.

There is still much to learn about how the brain and some addictive chemicals interact. The complexity and distinct affected brain circuits are still a mystery to researchers.

A recent mouse study investigated the effects of cocaine and alcohol on particular brain circuits.

According to the study’s findings, cocaine and alcohol may block specific brain connections, making it harder to adjust to changing conditions.

Abuse of drugs impairs cognitive flexibility

People can change their behavior by adapting their ideas. This is referred to as cognitive flexibility. According to the authors of this study, cognitive flexibility enables individuals to modify their behaviour in response to their settings in order to obtain desirable results.

Ben Spielberg, a neuroscientist and the founder of Bespoke Treatment, elaborated on the significance of cognitive flexibility in his study:

The ability to change one’s mental focus and adjust to new challenges, objectives, and patterns is referred to as cognitive flexibility, a complicated phenomenon. Cognitive flexibility is defined as the capacity to think and act appropriately in response to changes in inputs, settings, and surprises. Our world is changing quickly, and if our thought patterns are rigid and unchanging, we can’t adjust to it. Cognitive flexibility is therefore vital.

The use of specific drugs and alcohol has been associated with a decrease in cognitive flexibility, according to the study’s authors.

The goal of this study, according to Dr. Jun Wang of the Texas A&M University School of Medicine, was to “examine why addictive substance use reduces cognitive flexibility.”

How do drugs and alcohol impact thinking?

In this study, mice and rats were used to examine the effects of cocaine and alcohol on cognitive flexibility and the underlying mechanisms at play.

Reversal learning tasks were employed by researchers to evaluate cognitive flexibility. This entails performing acts and tasks that are the opposite of what they were in the past.

They discovered that cocaine helps to inhibit particular neurons known as striatal cholinergic interneurons (CINs) by interfering with certain brain connections.

Previous research has shown that direct-pathway medium spiny neurons (MSN) are more active when exposed to addictive drugs over time. They discovered that exposure to cocaine seems to intensify the inhibitory signals that direct-pathway medium spiny neurons (MSN) send to striatal cholinergic interneurons (CINs). Their research provides additional evidence that alcohol has a similar effect.

The authors of the study also discovered that cocaine exposure reduced CIN firing to the dorsomedial striatum (DMS), a region of the brain. The ability to think creatively depends on this part of the brain.

The information sheds light on a few possible mechanisms by which addictive chemicals may limit cognitive flexibility. The identification of these mechanisms may aid in the creation of medications for the treatment of substance use disorders.

Dr. Wang provided some details regarding the team’s brain circuits, saying:

“It is unclear what mechanisms underlie the decrease in cognitive flexibility brought on by reinforcement. Through a collateral projection from dMSNs to CINs, this study discovered that dMSN activation by substance use decreases CIN function and flexibility. In other words, dMSN-to-midbrain mediates reinforcement, whereas dMSN-to-CIN lowers cognitive flexibility.”

According to Spielberg, drug abuse “is linked to impulsivity at initial stages (e.g., before physiological dependence kicks in). However, the brain switches to a compulsive pattern once one becomes dependent on the drug.”

The effects on the human brain require additional study.

The primary drawback of this study is that it was conducted on rodents, which means that it cannot be directly used to work with people.

To fully comprehend how alcohol and cocaine affect neural networks in the human brain, more research is required. For instance, it is unknown to what extent consuming alcohol or cocaine affects cognitive flexibility, Dr. Wang explained:

This study identifies an intrinsic circuit that mediates the cognitive flexibility brought on by reward. We haven’t yet looked at what dosages of alcohol or cocaine will make people less flexible cognitively. Alcohol or cocaine use disorder, which is defined as obsessive use of these substances despite negative effects, is widely thought to cause permanent alterations at dMSN-to-CIN.

Obtaining addiction therapy

This study adds to the body of research that shows how addictive chemicals affect people. Numerous alternatives are available to those who need assistance in reducing the possibly negative impacts of addiction.

Long-term management and learning new behaviors that challenge old patterns can both be part of addiction treatment.

Some drugs may be able to ease withdrawal symptoms and aid in the process of acclimating a person to life without a particular substance.

Therapy that enables people to alter their behaviors and way of thinking might be helpful to those seeking addiction treatment.

In his explanation of some facets of addiction treatment, Spielberg said:

“The current standard of care involves a community-based treatment programme such as a Partial Hospitalisation Programme (PHP) or Intensive Outpatient Programme (IOP). This is once a person has been medically detoxicated from substances. In addition to having a substance addiction disease, many persons also have other underlying mental health diagnoses that have to be treated. These diagnoses often include bipolar illness, PTSD, depression, anxiety, OCD, and ADHD.

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What are the ways to treat and diagnose Gastritis?

What are the ways to treat and diagnose Gastritis?

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What is Gastritis?

Gastritis is a disorder that causes the mucosa lining of the stomach to become inflamed. This inflammation results in stomach pain, dyspepsia, bloating, and nausea. It can trigger other issues. Gastritis can develop gradually (chronic) or suddenly (acute) (chronic). Reducing stomach acid and modifying your diet can help with gastritis symptoms.

The mucosa is the protective mucus lining that lines your stomach. Your stomach’s lining shields it from the powerful stomach acid that aids in food digestion. The protecting mucosa gets inflamed and leads to gastritis when something weakens or harms it. The most frequent bacterial cause of gastritis is a kind of bacterium known as Helicobacter pylori.

About 8 out of every 1,000 people get acute (sudden) gastritis. Long-term, chronic gastritis is less frequent. Approximately two out of every 10,000 people are impacted.

Types of Gastritis

There are two main categories of gastritis:

Erosive (reactive): Erosive gastritis results in both stomach lining erosion and inflammation. Reactive gastritis is another name for this illness. Alcohol, smoking, NSAIDs, corticosteroids, viral or bacterial infections, stress from diseases or injuries, and corticosteroids are some of the causes.

Non-erosive: Stomach lining inflammation that does not cause erosion or compromise the lining.

What Causes Gastritis?

Inflammation brought on by heavy alcohol use, frequent vomiting, stress, or the use of specific medications like aspirin or other anti-inflammatory therapies can result in gastropathy. Additionally, it might result from any of the following:

  • Abuse of alcohol: Prolonged drinking can irritate and damage the stomach lining.
  • Autoimmune disease: In certain people, the stomach lining’s healthy cells are attacked by the immune system.
  • Bacterial infection: Peptic ulcer illness and chronic gastritis are mostly brought on by the H. pylori bacterium (stomach ulcers). Inflammation is brought on by the bacteria’s destruction of the stomach’s barrier lining.
  • Reflux of bile: Your liver produces bile to aid in the digestion of fatty foods. Reflux is a reflowing action. When bile bypasses the small intestine and instead rushes back into the stomach, this condition is known as bile reflux.
  • Medication: Regularly taking corticosteroids or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) to treat chronic pain can irritate the stomach lining.
  • Stress on the body: A sudden, serious sickness or injury might cause gastritis. Gastritis frequently occurs even following trauma to the body that does not affect the stomach. Brain injuries and severe burns are two common causes.

Symptoms of gastritis

There are many cases of gastritis without symptoms. When symptoms do occur, many people mistake them for indigestion. Additional indications of gastritis include:

  • tarry, dark stool
  • Bloating.
  • vomiting and nauseous.
  • greater satiety during or after a meal.
  • decrease in appetite.
  • abdominal ulcers
  • shedding pounds without intending to.
  • discomfort or soreness in the upper abdomen (belly).
  • throwing up blood.

How is gastritis diagnosed?

Your doctor will examine you physically and inquire about your medical history and symptoms. Your doctor might also recommend one or more of the following tests:

  • Breath test: You ingest a capsule or liquid containing the radioactive substance urea during an H. pylori breath test. Then you exhale into a bag that resembles a balloon. Urea is converted into carbon dioxide by H. pylori bacteria. The breath test will reveal a rise in carbon dioxide if you have the bacteria.
  • Blood test: Checking for antibodies that combat the H. pylori bacteria through a blood test.
  • Stool test: H. pylori bacteria are detected in your stool during this test of your faeces (poop).
  • Upper endoscopy: Your doctor examines your stomach using an endoscope, a lengthy, thin tube with a camera attached to it. The oesophagus, which joins your mouth to your stomach, is where the doctor puts the scope. Using an upper endoscopy, your doctor can look at the stomach lining. Additionally, a tissue sample (biopsy) from the lining of your stomach may be taken in order to check for infection.
  • Upper GI examination: For an upper GI examination, you ingest barium, a chalky material. Your stomach lining is coated by the fluids, giving the X-ray technician more precise images.

How is gastritis treated?

Depending on the reason, there are many treatments for gastritis. While some medicines treat symptoms of dyspepsia, others kill bacteria. Your healthcare professional might advise:

Antibiotics: The bacterial infection may be treated with antibiotics. For a few weeks, you might need to take many different kinds of antibiotics.

Antacids: Calcium carbonate drugs that act as antacids lessen exposure to stomach acid. They could aid in reducing inflammation. Heartburn can also be treated with antacids like Tums and Rolaids.

Histamine (H2) blockers: Drugs like ranitidine (Zantac), cimetidine (Tagamet), and other analogues reduce the formation of stomach acid.

Proton pump inhibitors: These drugs lessen the amount of acid your stomach generates. Examples include omeprazole (Prilosec) and esomeprazole (Nexium). Proton pump inhibitors also treat gastroesophageal reflux disease and stomach ulcers.

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