Alcohol

Binge drinking teenagers 'risk long-term memory loss'

Binge drinking teenagers are at risk of turning absent minded and forgetful because of the damage booze is doing to their brains, new research suggests.Psychologists discovered alarming levels of everyday memory loss among university students who have regular heavy drinking sessions.Tests showed they were affected even though in answers to questions they failed to recognise anything wrong with their memory.Heavy drinking appeared to have a significant impact on prospective memory - the kind used to remember future tasks, such as calling a friend or buying washing powder from the supermarket.Binge drinking was already known to affect people's memories of past events, but the new findings suggest that the damage it causes may be even more serious in teenagers.The scientists who carried out the research on students aged 17 to 19 believe the harm caused to the brain may be long lasting or even permanent.Teenage brains are thought to be especially vulnerable because their internal wiring is still developing, with new nerve connections continually being created. Experts now think this period of change may continue well into adulthood.Study leader Dr Thomas Heffernan, from the University of Northumbria, said: "There is evidence that excess alcohol and binge drinking in particular damages parts of the brain that underpin everyday memory."Not only may these teenagers be harming their memory, if their brains are still developing they could be storing up problems for the future."Dr Heffernan's team recruited volunteer students from a number of universities in the north-east of England. Of the group, 26 were regular binge drinkers and 34 non-binge drinkers.A binge drinker was defined as a male who drank at least eight units or a female who drank six units of alcohol in one session on two or more occasions per week.One unit is roughly equivalent to a small glass of wine or half a pint of average strength beer. Dr Heffernan said the binge drinkers he studied consumed, on average, 30 units in just two sessions.The teenagers were tested three or four days after their last "bender", by which time their bodies would have been free of alcohol.They were asked to answer questions about how often they forgot to carry out tasks they intended to do, such as meeting with friends.Then the teenagers were given a computer test designed to measure how good their memory really was.They were shown a video clip of a typical shopping expedition. At various points, different scenes were supposed to prompt a memory of a specific task, such as buying a toothbrush at Boots, or remembering to text a friend at WH Smith.Before starting the test, the teenagers were given two minutes to memorise a list of tasks and cues.Some of the tasks were simple and others more complex - for instance, remembering to check one's bank account after seeing a certain person sitting on a bench."We found no differences between binge drinkers and non-binge drinkers in the self-reporting questionnaires, but when it came to the video the binge drinkers recalled significantly less than the non-binge drinkers," said Dr Heffernan."Although from their own reports they appeared to have good memories, they didn't perform as well in the video test. The binge drinkers recalled up to a third less of the items, a significant difference."He said it was possible that the pre-frontal cortex or hippocampus regions of the brain were being impaired.The findings were presented today at the British Psychological Society's annual meeting in Dublin.Dr Heffernan's group is now conducting a similar study with volunteers walking through a real shopping centre, rather than watching a video.He said he was opposed to young people being allowed easy access to alcohol."I think having a hard line on binge drinking is a good idea, but you've got to cut the source off, the supply," he said."I'd have thought the liberalisation of drinking and access to cheap booze does nothing to help curb the problem of binge drinking."

I think its a good idea for your parents to let you drink a little at 16 so your body can get use to it