Alcohol and drugs are, unfortunately, often seen as a rite of passage for teenagers. Many, however, are unaware of the severe and lasting damage that alcohol and drugs can inflict on their growing bodies. A new study of the effects of excessive alcohol and drugs in teenagers has proved that abuse can result in serious damage to the development of their brains.
"The effects of alcohol and marijuana use on cognition in adults have been researched for decades but are only now beginning to receive attention in adolescents," said Robert J. Thomas, a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. "Both animal models and observational studies in humans suggest that binge drinking during adolescence alters normal developmental processes in a way that negatively impacts learning and social adjustment into adulthood."
During development of the brain in teenagers, the frontal lobe plays an important role in the development of judgment, social skills and making decisions.
"Heavy drinking may disrupt normal neurodevelopmental processes that hone and sharpen attention and executive function during adolescence in that alcohol may selectively target the frontal lobes," said Thoma.
After a battery of psychological tests on the experimental groups, the researchers discovered that both frequent alcohol and marijuana use had a significant effect on the adolescent brain. As the intensity of alcohol use increased, individuals demonstrated a marked decrease in attention and executive function. Increased marijuana use was seen to be connected with a decrease in memory performance.
"It could be that intense drinking during adolescence leads to delays or incomplete development of frontal brain regions, which in turn leads to problems with attention and executive functioning," said Susan F. Tapert, a Professor of Psychiatry at VA San Diego Healthcare System and the University of California at San Diego.
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