Scary analyzes reveal that brain damage caused by alcohol lasts up to six weeks



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Scary analyzes reveal that the damage to the brain by alcohol lasts up to SIX WEEKS after stopping drinking.

  • Experts in Germany and Spain examine the brains of alcoholics and non-drinkers
  • They found that there was less activity in the brain of the drinkers even weeks later.
  • Areas of the brain controlling emotions, behavior and memory have been affected

Headaches, nausea and fatigue caused by hangovers usually disappear the next day.

But one study found that your brain could still feel the effects of alcohol for six weeks.

Scientists have used brain scans of alcoholics to find white matter – parts of the brain containing nerves – continues to change after more than a month of sobriety.

Analyzes by Spanish and German researchers revealed that there was significantly less electrical activity (indicated by the blue lines) in the brain of an alcoholic after two weeks of sobriety (left). ) that in the brain of a teetotaler (right).

Analyzes by Spanish and German researchers revealed that there was significantly less electrical activity (indicated by the blue lines) in the brain of an alcoholic after two weeks of sobriety (left). ) that in the brain of a teetotaler (right).

Researchers from the Spanish Institute of Neuroscience and the Central Institute of Mental Health in Germany have examined the brains of 90 alcoholic men.

The patients had been hospitalized because of their alcohol problems and the scanners were compared to 36 men who were not addicted.

And although it is known that alcohol consumption changes the way nerves communicate in the brain, experts have realized that changes continue when smoking stops.

Although drinking can make people happier and more sociable, excessive drinking can damage parts of the brain that control thoughts and movements.

The analyzes showed that there was significantly less electrical activity in the brain of the drinkers than in those of the phone calls, even after two weeks of sobriety.

The changes were still present in the brain after six weeks of absence of alcohol, according to research published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

The researchers said their findings run counter to the conventional wisdom that alcohol damage ceases when consumption is over.

Dr. Santiago Canals, one of the authors of the study, said: "Until now, no one could believe that without alcohol, brain damage would progress."

The analyzes showed that the two most affected areas were the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex.

Memories, emotions, decision-making and behavior are controlled by these parts of the organ, suggesting that these features could be particularly impaired.

"We found that at two and six weeks of abstinence, microstructural changes had progressed," the scientists wrote in their report.

They said the journey of nerve signals continued to be limited in the brain.

And they added, "These results challenge the conventional wisdom that microstructure changes begin to return to normal. [normal] immediately after you stop using alcohol. & # 39;

ARE ALCOHOL OR CANNABIS Poor FOR BRAIN?

Alcohol harms the brain more than cannabis, according to a study suggested in February 2017.

Unlike alcohol, marijuana does not affect the size or integrity of white or gray matter in the brain even after years of exposure, revealed a study.

The gray matter allows the brain to function, while the white color controls the communication between the nervous groups.

Kent Hutchison, author of the study, from the University of Colorado at Boulder, said: "Marijuana can also have negative consequences, but it is far from the negative consequences of alcohol."

Scientists add, however, that research on the mental effects of cannabis is still very limited.

Lead author Rachel Thayer said, "With regard to marijuana use in particular, there is still so much that we do not know how it affects the brain."

In the United States, 44% of people 12 years and older have used cannabis in their lifetime.

Although their findings seem positive, the researchers also added that there is still a long way to go before cannabis is likely to be widely legalized.

Many are still concerned about how the class C drug affects people of different ages, manages pain and is addictive.

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