BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF ALCOHOLISM

Alcoholism, which affects about 7% of the total population, is a socio sanitary problem with high economic costs and devastating human conseq uences. This work reviews the biological bases underlying and explaini ng the capacity that alcohol has to generate addiction and dependence. Thus, the main pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of ethanol, together with its associated unspecific neuropharmacological effects and the impact on different neurotransmitter systems are pres ented. It is well established that chronic alcohol consumption generat es various kinds of organ damage. However, epidemiological studies of morbimortality cannot ignore individual and sociocultural modulatory f actors. Therefore, the main alterations on different systems, although with especial emphasis on anatomical and functional changes in the ne rvous system, are summarized. Finally, the last section includes the m ost outstanding results derived from genetic research, aimed to determ ine phenotypic and genotypic markers of risk for subsequent developmen t of alcoholism. Even though all known vulnerability factors show spec ificity problems, future advances in this approach will be the key to improve prevention and treatment of such addiction.