Mark Prendergast
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky. Mark Prendergast achieved a BSc at Iowa State University and progressed from there to achieve an MA in Psychobiology at the University of Nebraska.
Examining the role of ethanol withdrawal neurotoxicity in relapse to drinking
This presentation will examine the role of ethanol withdrawal phenomena in the maintenance and progression of alcohol dependence. Discussion will specifically examine the putative role of ethanol withdrawal-induced brain damage in relapse to ethanol dependence. Specific topics to be presented include: (1) brain volume changes in chronic alcoholism; (2) the role of repeated detoxification episodes in neuronal loss; and (3) the potential role of cognitive disihhibition in relapse. Empirical data will be presented which describe a brain slice culture model of
ethanol withdrawal-induced brain damage and the treatment of this damage. Discussion will focus on the role of a few key neurotransmitter systems in withdrawal induced neurotoxicity and the relevance of this and similar models to: (i) the development of novel pharmacological agents for use in treating ethanol withdrawal and (2) the role of conditioning in relapse to ethanol dependence.