6533b856fe1ef96bd12b294a

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Differential Effects of Alcohol on Memory Performance in Adolescent Men and Women with a Binge Drinking History.

Santiago MonleónConcepción Vinader-caerolsAndrew C. TalkAránzazu DuqueAdriana Montañés

subject

MaleWechsler Memory ScaleAdolescentUniversities030508 substance abuseBinge drinkingAlcoholBinge Drinking03 medical and health scienceschemistry.chemical_compoundYoung Adult0302 clinical medicineSex FactorsVisual memoryWechsler Memory ScaleMedicineHumansYoung adultAlcohol toleranceStudentsEthanolWorking memorybusiness.industryCognitionGeneral MedicineMemory Short-TermchemistryAdolescent BehaviorVisual PerceptionFemale0305 other medical sciencebusiness030217 neurology & neurosurgeryClinical psychology

description

Aims Binge drinking (BD) is characterized by intermittent consumption of large quantities of alcohol in short periods. This pattern of drinking is prevalent among adolescents, and has been associated with undermined learning and memory ability. This study investigates the relationships between a history of BD and the effects of acute exposure to alcohol on learning and memory performance in adolescent men and women. Methods A high, acute dose of alcohol or control refreshment was administered to a sample of 172 adolescent undergraduate students, some of which had a history of BD and others of which had refrained from alcohol consumption. Subsequently, immediate visual memory (IVM) and working memory (WM) was measured according to the Wechsler Memory Scale in females and males with different BAC (Experiment 1) and similar BAC (Experiment 2). Results In both experiments, IVM was reduced after acute alcohol consumption and there was no significant main effect of Drinking Pattern. Furthermore, an effect of cognitive alcohol tolerance on IVM was observed in women but not in men. WM was not affected by alcohol, but a gender difference was evident in that performance was superior in men than in women. Conclusions In adolescents, IVM is more sensitive than WM to impairment by alcohol, and women are more vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of alcohol than men, since the cognitive tolerance effect of alcohol on IVM develops in BD women but not in BD men. These findings emphasize the need to investigate the neurotoxic effects of alcohol in adolescent women. Short summary In adolescents, immediate visual memory (IVM) is more sensitive than working memory to impairment by alcohol, and women are more vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of alcohol than men, because the cognitive tolerance effect of alcohol on IVM develops in binge drinking (BD) women but not in BD men.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2017-06-17Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire)
10.1093/alcalc/agx040https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28633431