I KNEW IT!!
A new study looked at the effects of midlife and late-life alcohol consumption on the brain.
The study looked at over 660 patients from the Framingham Heart Study
Offspring Cohort that contained self-reported alcohol consumption along
with several neuropsychological assessments – such as MRI scans of
their brain and Alzheimer’s risk.
The paper published in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias,
reported their findings that suggest light to moderate alcohol
consumption in older people were correlated with higher episodic memory
and larger hippocampal brain volume.
The hippocampus is the region of the brain that that stores memories
so it is not surprising that episodic memory is improved when the region
is enlarged. Episodic memory is how you recall events such as
remembering your 6th birthday party.
Previous studies conducted on animals have also suggested that
moderate alcohol consumption could promote generation of new nerve cells
in the hippocampus.
“There were no significant differences in cognitive functioning and
regional brain volumes during late life according to reported midlife
alcohol consumption status,” said lead author Brian Downer. “This may be
due to the fact that adults who are able to continue consuming alcohol
into old age are healthier, and therefore have higher cognition and
larger regional brain volumes, than people who had to decrease their
alcohol consumption due to unfavourable health outcomes.”
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