Adolescence is a critical time in the brain's development, and it's too often the time in life when alcohol consumption is at its highest, say researchers at Duke University. But those who engage in binge drinking during their youth could be limiting their learning and memory as adults.
Numerous studies have shown that the adolescent brains responds differently than the adult brain to alcohol, and the brains of teens seem to be more at risk than adults. But the Duke study found that binge drinking permanently altered young brains and made them more susceptible to subsequent alcohol abuse as well as learning, memory, and other neurological problems.
In addition, the changes made the brain cells more vulnerable to disease or trauma.
Binge drinking is defined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as a man drinking five drinks or more during a two-hour period or a woman drinking four drinks during the same time frame.
The study, which was published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, studied the effects of binge drinking on the brains of rats. Rats were chosen because they undergo brain changes similar to humans. Researchers concentrated on the hippocampus of the brain, the area associated with memory and learning.
Rats were given alcohol for a 16-day period during adolescence. The amount was enough to cause them to become inebriated, but not to pass out. Then the rats were allowed to develop normally into adults.
When their brains were examined, the hippocampal areas of those rats exposed to alcohol had abnormal connections to other neurons, and brain cells appeared immature. In addition, their brain cells were hypersensitive to stimulation and over-reacted, upsetting the balance between inhibition and excitement.
The immature cells suggested that changes in the rats' brains would cause them to act immaturely, and would prevent normal learning and memories from being built and stored.
The study, yet again, calls into question the problem of teen drinking, especially in college. Although college students are considered adults, their brains will continue to grow until they reach their mid-20s, and the drinking they engage in during their adolescent and college years will have a lasting impact on brain function.
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