Do you have a poor Memory Retention? Well, worry no more because a new study found that drinking alcohol could help improve one’s ability when it comes to memory retention.
The research was conducted by University of Exeter experts. The purpose of the study is to identify the effects of alcohol consumption to the human brain.
How alcohol can boost one’s ability to retain information
Even though excessive alcohol drinking could lead to several harmful effects such as brain disorders, liver damage and poor physical or mental functions, the study suggested it could also have some benefits.
In fact, researchers believed that it may have long-term memory impact.
Study researcher Celia Morgan explained that their findings showed people who drank alcohol performed well when the word-learning task given to them was repeated. She also noted that among those respondents who consumed more, the effect on them were “stronger.”
Morgan further explained that alcohol tends to obstruct the “learning of new information.” Due to this, the brain has more capacity to absorb newly learned information into long-term memory. She also cited the ability of the brain’s hippocampus, the area associated with memory, to shift the short-term memories into long-term ones.
Binge drinking and its effects
Despite its potential benefits, the researchers underscored that the harmful effects of heavy drinking should also be taken into consideration, especially when it comes to teenagers who are prone to Binge drinking.
A separate study revealed that binge drinking affects body functions associated with the memory, attention, and language, leading to episodes of mental blackouts and both short and long term memory loss.
In addition, excessive drinking could also have “deleterious impacts” on awareness and consciousness (in both cortical and subcortical frameworks), as well as increase the risks of developing alcohol use disorder later in life.
According to the study conducted by the Oregon State University, heavy consumption among teenagers could lead to some drastic effects on their neural development and cognitive skills.
The study looked into its negative impacts in six areas of the brain response, which include “response inhibition, working memory, verbal learning and memory, decision making and reward processing, alcohol cue reactivity, and socio-cognitive/socio-emotional processing," Oregon State University assistant professor Anita Cservenka noted.
Since binge drinking leads to the teens' incapability to learn novel words and brain activity alterations, Cservenka stressed the importance of raising awareness about the risks and effects of heavy alcohol consumption.
