Effects of Alcohol on the Central Nervous System

It has been long known that alcoholics may have a variety of disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system. However, the relative importance of direct toxic effects of alcohol on the brain as opposed to metabolic derangements associated with dietary deficiency has been the subject of continued debate. Recently, Dr. Gerhard Freund1 reported that alcohol consumption per se and not nutritional deficiency produced impairment of shock avoidance learning in mice. This study raised anew the question of a possible direct toxic action of ethanol on the central nervous system.A careful examination of Freund's data1 reveals that toxic effects . . .