Synonyms
Alcohol; Astrocytes: Neuroinflammation
Definition
Long-term chronic and acute, binge-type alcohol (ethanol) consumption disrupts cognitive function and causes structural brain damage. The adverse effects of ethanol are typically realized when blood ethanol levels reach 20–50 mM; however, blood ethanol concentrations have been reported to exceed 200 mM. Among the cells profoundly affected by ethanol are the astroglia. Astroglia are the most prevalent cell type in the human central nervous system (CNS) and perform important roles both in normal tissue homeostasis and response to injury and infection. Physiological functions of astroglia include neurotrophic factor production, regulation of neuronal development and function, neurotransmitter metabolism and extracellular regulation of pH and K+concentration and they comprise a critical component of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Important astroglial derived inflammatory mediators include cytokines, chemokines, inducible...
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Davis, R.L. (2009). Central Nervous System Inflammation: Astroglia and Ethanol. In: Binder, M.D., Hirokawa, N., Windhorst, U. (eds) Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_898
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_898
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-23735-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-29678-2
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