in Silvia Turin
New confirmation from a Finnish study of the damage that alcohol causes to the brain especially of young people. Gray matter thins and works slowly. What are the harmful effects even after just a drink
Drinking alcohol as a teenager can reduce the volume of the brain, but also thin the cerebral cortex and consequently alter (slow down) the connections between the neurons responsible for the reactivity of the mind.
I study
A new study says so pubblicato su Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Researchcarried out by Finnish researchers.
The study included 26 young adults who had a history of alcoholism, as well as 21 people in the control group with near-abstainable drinking. Participants were followed for 10 years, from ages 13-18 to approximately age 25. Changes in gray matter volume were measured from magnetic resonance images of the brain, and cortical activity was measured using transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography simultaneously.
The results
Finnish research has explored the association between gray matter thickness and neurotransmission. According to the researchers, the results indicate that in young adults with a history of excessive alcoholism since adolescence, gray matter thinning is observed in several regions of the brain, associated with impaired neurotransmission, especially in the frontal and parietal lobes.
Previous research has already shown that repeated binge drinking in adolescence (if only related to weekend binge drinking) is associated with changes in the central nervous system in adulthood, including lower gray matter volume and decreased neurotransmission.
Data in Italy
confirmation that the brain is particularly susceptible to the deleterious effects of alcohol use particularly in adolescence, when neurons experience intense development.
Yet data from the Istituto Superiore di Sanit (ISS) estimate that in 2020 there were 750 thousand minors between the ages of eleven and 17 who consumed alcohol, about 18 percent of males and about 19 percent of females. An alarming fact, if we consider that within this category the consumption of alcohol should be equal to zero. Again according to the ISS, all children under the age of 18 who have consumed even just one alcoholic drink are to be considered consumers at risk, and all people, regardless of age, who have practiced binge drinking at least once in the course of the year.
Damage to young people
Already a single drink leads to inflammation of the organs, from the brain to the liver, stomach, heart, breasts, testicles. Consuming alcohol at a young age (up to about 21 years) exposes you to high risks, causing cellular damage, aggression, memory loss, increased chances of road accidents, impotence and infertility. At equal consumption, girls have a higher level of alcohol in their blood and are more vulnerable to its effects.
This is only for the immediate risks. Chronic alcohol abuse leads to an increase in the incidence of various diseases, such as cardiovascular, oncological and liver diseases.
June 21, 2023 (change June 21, 2023 | 08:17)
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