Research has found that blackout drinking at a young age can have long-lasting effects on learning, memory, and the ability to recognize faces. Sara A. Lorkiewicz, a neuropsychology postdoctoral fellow at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, explains that alcohol-related blackouts occur when a person drinks a large amount of alcohol quickly, resulting in a rapid increase in blood alcohol concentration. Typically, blackouts occur when a person’s BAC reaches about 0.16%, twice the legal driving limit.
It is important to note that passing out and blacking out are not the same. When a person passes out, they lose consciousness or fall asleep, while someone who blacks out remains awake but will not remember what happened. Essentially, new memories are not formed during blackouts, leading to periods of anterograde amnesia for the individual. The study followed a group of individuals aged 12 to 24 over a six-year period, focusing on the effects of alcohol use on young brains. The fusiform gyrus, a region of the brain related to processing visual information about faces and bodies, was found to be sensitive to the cumulative effects of alcohol use early on.
Additionally, the study discovered that episodes of heavy drinking also impact the hippocampus later in development. The hippocampus plays a crucial role in transferring short-term memories, such as vision, smell, and sound, to long-term storage. The research findings were presented at the annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol in Minneapolis. Youth binge drinking is prevalent, with studies showing that 80% of students reported blacking out at least once during college.
Lorkiewicz emphasized that past research has shown that blackouts impair a drinker’s ability to learn and remember visual information, including faces. This could lead to lower-than-expected performance in school or work, as well as difficulties forming social relationships. Understanding the potential risks associated with blackout drinking is essential, as it can have significant impacts on cognitive function and social interactions. The study highlights the importance of addressing alcohol-related blackouts and their effects on brain development in young individuals to mitigate potential long-term consequences.
