Neurobiology Added to Social, Moral Debate on Teen Drinking
From Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs News:
Experts once believed that it took a long period of heavy drinking to injure the brain, but mounting research suggests that alcohol may readily damage the developing brains of teenagers, the New York Times reported July 4.
Preliminary animal research has shown that doses of alcohol similar to binge drinking episodes may cause cellular damage to the forebrain and hippocampus of adolescents, perhaps explaining why -- as a different study of human subjects recently found -- people who begin drinking at a young age are at much higher risk of becoming alcoholics.
Researchers have found that alcohol suppresses the action of chemical receptors in the hippocampus of young rats, impairing the development of new memories.
Young drinkers may experience more alcohol-related "blackouts" than previously believed, which may be explained by the effect of drinking on the developing hippocampus.
Drinking also appears to make the brain less responsive to the neurotransmitter GABA among young people; GABA helps induce calmness and sleepiness, which may be why young drinkers can often remain conscious and keep drinking even after older drinkers pass out.
"Early drinking is affecting a sensitive brain in a way that promotes the progression to addiction."
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