Does the Brain Recover? (E26)
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Gill discusses how the brain recovers after we stop drinking. There have been mixed conclusions on this topic over the years, so she presents the latest information from 2019-2020 all the way up to a couple of weeks ago. You'll learn what white and grey matter are in the brain, how alcohol damages the brain, and how our cognitive function improves in sobriety.
Key Takeaways
According to the NIAAA, alcohol damages neurons in all areas of the brain, inhibits the functioning of every brain mechanism, alters the activity of all neural pathways in the brain, and increases the risk of developing neurological diseases and disorders such as seizures, stroke, brain cancer, and dementia.
The NIH reports that partial repair of some of the structural changes to the brain can occur within the first few months of sobriety, with the most noticeable and important effects occurring in the first year of sobriety. The full benefits of sobriety peak and are maintained after 5-7 years.
Overall, studies show that the brain recovers well in areas such as short and long term memory, verbal IQ and verbal fluency. Other functions may take more time and effort to recover, like visuospatial skills, multitasking, semantic memory, sustained attention, impulsivity, emotional face recognition, and planning.
Cite this episode
Tietz, G. Episode 26: Does the Brain Recover? Sober Powered. 2020
Sources
Maillard, A. et al. Short-Term Neuropsychological Recovery in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Retrospective Clinical Study. Addictive Behaviors. 2020
Blaine, S. et al. Association of Prefrontal-Striatal Functional Pathology with Alcohol Abstinence Days at Treatment Initiation and Heavy Drinking After Treatment Initiation. Am J Psychiatry. 2020
De Santis, S. et al. Microstructural White Matter Alterations in Men With Alcohol Use Disorder and Rats With Excessive Alcohol Consumption During Early Abstinence. JAMA Psychiatry, 2019
De Santis, S. et al. Detecting Alcohol-Induced Brain Damage Noninvasively Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging. ACS Chemical Neuroscience 2019 10 (10), 4187-4189
Nickell, Chelsea G. et al. Recovery of Hippocampal-Dependent Learning Despite Blunting Reactive Adult Neurogenesis After Alcohol Dependence. 1 Jan. 2020 : 83 – 101.
De Santis, S. et al. Chronic Alcohol Consumption Alters Extracellular Space Geometry and Transmitter Diffusion in the Brain. Neuroscience. 2020
NIAAA. The Neurotoxicity of Alcohol. Chapter 2: Alcohol and the Brain: Neuroscience and Neurobehavior.
Schulte, M. et al. Recovery of neurocognitive functions following sustained abstinence after substance dependence and implications for treatment. Clinical psychology review, 34(7), 531-550. 2014
