Post by Adam on Dec 18, 2006 12:28:23 GMT -5
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Brain recovers if you stop drinking
Dec. 18, 2006. 11:34 AM
LOUISE BROWN
STAFF REPORTER
A study released at the height of party season shows alcoholics who dried out for 38 days had their brains grow by about 2 per cent.
Moreover, six weeks of sobriety produced higher readings of two chemicals linked to powers of concentration and the ability to pay attention.
And it seems the sooner an alcohol abuser stops drinking, the better the chance of growing back brain cells, said the study published today in the on-line edition of the journal Brain.
"The core message is that, for alcoholics, abstinence pays off and enables the brain to regain some substance and perform better," said Andreas Bartsch, a neuroradiologist at Germany’s University of Wurzburg, who led the study with a team of scientists from Switzerland, Britain and Italy.
"However, it also shows the longer you drink excessively, the more you risk losing this capacity for (brain) regeneration. Therefore, alcoholics must not put off the time when they decide to seek help and stop drinking; the sooner they do it, the better."
The team took 15 alcoholic adults, 10 men and five women, and measured their brain volume on an MRI, tested the levels of chemicals that indicate brain power and also tested their powers of concentration.
Then, after nearly two months on the wagon, their brain volume was measured again and found to have grown in every case but one - the participant who had been drinking the longest.
Brain growth ranged from as little as 0.19 per cent to 4.32 per cent, which averages out to about 2 per cent. The patients also performed better on the tests of concentration.
"The adult human brain, particularly its white matter, seems to possess genuine capabilities for re-growth," said Bartsch. "Our findings show the ways the brain can recover from the toxic insults of chronic alcoholism.
"However, they also suggest prolonged dependence on alcohol may limit rapid recovery from brain injury."
The researchers said they hope the study will help motivate alcoholics to quit.
Brain recovers if you stop drinking
Dec. 18, 2006. 11:34 AM
LOUISE BROWN
STAFF REPORTER
A study released at the height of party season shows alcoholics who dried out for 38 days had their brains grow by about 2 per cent.
Moreover, six weeks of sobriety produced higher readings of two chemicals linked to powers of concentration and the ability to pay attention.
And it seems the sooner an alcohol abuser stops drinking, the better the chance of growing back brain cells, said the study published today in the on-line edition of the journal Brain.
"The core message is that, for alcoholics, abstinence pays off and enables the brain to regain some substance and perform better," said Andreas Bartsch, a neuroradiologist at Germany’s University of Wurzburg, who led the study with a team of scientists from Switzerland, Britain and Italy.
"However, it also shows the longer you drink excessively, the more you risk losing this capacity for (brain) regeneration. Therefore, alcoholics must not put off the time when they decide to seek help and stop drinking; the sooner they do it, the better."
The team took 15 alcoholic adults, 10 men and five women, and measured their brain volume on an MRI, tested the levels of chemicals that indicate brain power and also tested their powers of concentration.
Then, after nearly two months on the wagon, their brain volume was measured again and found to have grown in every case but one - the participant who had been drinking the longest.
Brain growth ranged from as little as 0.19 per cent to 4.32 per cent, which averages out to about 2 per cent. The patients also performed better on the tests of concentration.
"The adult human brain, particularly its white matter, seems to possess genuine capabilities for re-growth," said Bartsch. "Our findings show the ways the brain can recover from the toxic insults of chronic alcoholism.
"However, they also suggest prolonged dependence on alcohol may limit rapid recovery from brain injury."
The researchers said they hope the study will help motivate alcoholics to quit.