Teen Drinking And Memory
At least three million teenagers abuse alcohol in the United States and researchers say young drinkers may actually be hurting their ability to learn and remember because the human brain continues developing up to age 21.
CBS 2's Paul Moniz reports that research by psychiatrist Dr. Duncan Clark of the University of Pittsburgh suggests that regular heavy drinking affects the hippocampus of the brain, which is involved in memory and learning.
"We know from research in both people and animals that alcohol has a more toxic effect on areas on the brain that are actively undergoing development," according to Dr. Clark.
Brain scans showed that area was significantly smaller in teens who abused alcohol, about a 10 percent difference.
The longer teens drink, the smaller the hippocampus.
The study did not find any obvious difference in thinking skills in the teenagers but using the scans could predict future damage and protect the 5- to 10 percent of teenage drinkers who could develop serious problems.
"Our technology for imaging the brain may be at the point now where it can see damage occurring before it actually has any functional impact," Dr. Clark says.
Treating alcohol and drug abuse is critical in teens because both can cause legal and academic problems that can follow them their whole lives.
Researchers hope this study and others will determine which young drinkers need minimal intervention and which require more extensive treatment.
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