College Binge Drinking Related to Diminished Decision-Making Abilities

Adolescent brains particularly sensitive to alcohol's effects, study says

THURSDAY, May 24, 2007 (HealthDay News) -- College students who binge drink can suffer neurocognitive problems including reduced decision-making ability, says a study in the June issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Researchers looked at 200 participants enrolled in an ongoing student health study at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The 200 students were divided into four groups: low-binge drinkers; stable moderate-binge drinkers; increasing binge drinkers; and stable high-binge drinkers.

The researchers also collected data on the students' decision-making, impulsivity, gambling tendencies and heavy alcohol use.

"We found that stable high-binge drinking, starting at a pre-college age, is related to diminished decision-making abilities, as exemplified by preferring short-term rewards over long-term losses," corresponding author Anna E. Goudriaan, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, said in a prepared statement.

"In other words, this study shows that even in a group of "healthy" college students who are not alcoholics, heavy alcohol use is related to diminished decision-making abilities or disadvantageous cognitive functions," she said.

Jenny Larkins, a graduate student in clinical psychology at the University of Missouri, said the findings from this and several other studies suggest that "adolescence appears to be a time of exquisite sensitivity to the effects of alcohol on the brain. For these reasons, parents and clinicians must be especially diligent in monitoring young people to prevent alcohol abuse, and further attention to treatment programs designed for adolescents is warranted."

More information

The Nemours Foundation has more about binge drinking.

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