Binge drinking when you’re young turns your brain into a car with a broken gas pedal
Scientists from Pennsylvania State University have made an interesting discovery about the effects of alcohol on the human mind. Drinking large amounts of alcohol before the age of thirty will damage our brain for decades.
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Like a rickety gas pedal in a car
Binge drinking at a young age changes the way neurons communicate in the brain. Pennsylvania scientists compare it to a faulty gas pedal in the car, which requires more pressure to finally move. Worst of all, these changes remain in our heads for decades, increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
The effects were observed for both women and men who excessively consumed alcohol in their 20s and 30s. In extreme cases, the neurological changes are so great that… can lead to permanently abnormal neuronal communication and effects similar to those observed in people with cognitive impairment.
We know from previous research that binge drinking has immediate effects on the brain, but we had no idea whether these changes were permanent or reversible.
says Nikki Crowley, assistant professor and director of the Penn State Neuroscience Institute
The mice drank for 3 days, then they were given alcohol
The experiments used mice at different stages of development, corresponding to the human age of “under 30s” and “under 40s”. The animals had access to ethanol diluted with water on the fourth day, water was discontinued to simulate the effect of heavy drinking. Blood alcohol levels were increased by allowing drinking in the dark. The control group had a similar regimen, but received only water.
Middle-aged mice were then subjected to electrophysiological tests to check the influence of early drinking on the signals between excitatory (pyramidal) and inhibitory (GABAergic) neurons.
Pyramidal neurons, which occur in the prefrontal cortex, act like a gas pedal, stimulating brain activity. GABAergic neurons act as a brake. Performing complex cognitive tasks requires a balance between gas and brake. We know that an imbalance can lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Crowley said
The test results were merciless. Even after a very long period of abstinence, the effects of binge drinking in the early years were visible. Pyramidal neurons had the greatest difficulties, limiting the ability to communicate. Additionally, glutamate, which is a neurotransmitter responsible for the “gas” function, had a stronger effect on GABA receptors, which is a behavior typical of impaired cognitive abilities in dementia.
