Excess alcohol: slow poison for the brain

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Extract from the article: Alcohol, much more than a simple euphoric substance, represents a real health hazard. In Togo, 67.20% of young people over the age of 29 are drinking more and more alcohol, according to a study conducted in 2020 by the NGO Recherche action préventio

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Alcohol, much more than a simple euphoric substance, represents a real health hazard.  In Togo, 67.20% of young people over the age of 29 are drinking more and more alcohol, according to a study conducted in 2020 by the NGO Recherche action prévention accompagnement des addictions (RAPAA). The data collected reveal that 77.5% of men consume Sodabi and its derivatives, compared with 22.5 of women. 30.8% of people with primary education, 37.4% of those with secondary education consume sodabi, versus 24.1% of those with higher education. Alcohol in young people is a real scourge, as the brain continues to develop even into adulthood.

Impaired cognitive faculties

In the long term, alcohol can impair brain capacity, leading to memory problems, impulsivity and difficulty in thinking things through. According to the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, an anxiolytic and euphoric effect is produced at this point. The atmosphere and conversations relax. Brakes come off. There's much less concern about whether a dubious joke will go down well in public. People let loose. With varying degrees of success. In 2017, a synthesis of studies by neuroscientist Karina Abrahao's team at Brazil's University of São Paulo showed that at 0.25 grams per liter, most people's vision and ability to concentrate decline; subjective sensations begin to alter, as does our behavior. 

Addiction researcher Hitoshi Morikawa, from the University of Texas at Austin, explains that this release results from an increase in the activity of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area, a deep brain nucleus that is also part of the reward system. It seems that ethanol alters the permeability of the cell membrane to certain ions, thus triggering nerve impulses...

In the columns of the « Lancet Public Heath », French researchers have revealed a disturbing link between excessive alcohol consumption and the risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. According to them, alcoholism triples the risk of dementia in general, and doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.Another neuromediator involved in the effects of alcohol is serotonin.Its levels rise rapidly when we drink.Three brain areas are involved: the hippocampus, the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens.In a study conducted on mice, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, demonstrated in 2006 that ethanol prevented serotonin from leaving the synaptic cleft (at the junction between neurons), enabling the neurotransmitter to adhere longer to its receptors. An effect similar to that of antidepressants. To preserve brain health and reduce the risk of dementia, it is essential to limit consumption or, better still, stop drinking alcohol altogether.

Jean ELI & Esther KOLANI (Intern)