Teenage drinking is seen by some as a right of passage. Some adults view it as an inevitability they resign themselves to accept. But it’s also dangerous, and not just because early exposure to alcohol and drugs is a predictor of later substance abuse. Now, a University of Washington study has scientists investigating a link between early heavy drinking and adult decision-making. The research is being published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"It is a novel concept to think that early exposure might have long-term cognitive effects, but we can't test this on people,” said Nicholas Nasrallah, a U.W. psychology doctoral student and co-author of the study. Instead, they used rats to explore this suspected causal link between early alcohol use and an increase in risky decision making in adulthood.
Adolescent Drinking Effects Developing Brain
"We can't establish causal links based on existing human data but this animal model allowed us to establish this link," said corresponding author Ilene Bernstein, a U.W. professor of psychology and faculty member of the program in neurobiology and behavior.
"Scientists believe regions of the brain, including those implicated in decision making, are slow to develop and development extends into adolescence. This study shows that these late-developing structures in rats are affected by high alcohol use."
"The known association between behavior and high levels of alcohol use puts people at risk for a number of bad outcomes, particularly substance use," Bernstein continues. "Age of exposure to drugs is the No. 1 factor predictive of substance abuse later in life. Adolescent drinking is an epidemic today. This research raises a concern that if the brain is permanently changed by alcohol we need to place more emphasis on preventing adolescent alcohol use."
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