In a study conducted by Dr. Donald Goodwin in 1969, intoxicated participants were asked to recall objects they had seen just moments ago. While initially able to perform tasks, such as naming a toy they had seen, many experienced memory lapses when asked to recall the object after 30 minutes. This study highlights the selective effects of alcohol on memory.
Ethanol, the primary compound in alcohol, affects the brain's ability to communicate effectively, impairing pathways responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and motor skills. Although intoxicated individuals may seem capable of basic tasks, their memory storage is significantly compromised, leading to blackouts.
Factors like blood alcohol concentration, dehydration, genetics, and age influence the likelihood of experiencing blackouts. While alcohol's short-term effects typically dissipate within a day, repeated overconsumption can cause lasting damage to neurons and memory.
Vocabulary:
• Intoxicated: (adj.) under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Blackout: (n.) a temporary loss of consciousness or memory caused by excessive alcohol consumption.
• Neuron: (n.) a specialized cell transmitting nerve impulses; a nerve cell.
• LTP (Long-Term Potentiation): (n.) a process in which synaptic connections between neurons become stronger with frequent activation, believed to be the basis of learning and memory.
• Blood alcohol concentration (BAC): (n.) the amount of alcohol in a person's bloodstream, measured in grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.
• Brownout: (n.) a partial loss of memory or blackout caused by excessive alcohol consumption, where some memories are retained while others are not.
• Dehydration: (n.) excessive loss of water from the body.
• Neurotransmitter: (n.) a chemical substance that is released at the end of a nerve fiber by the arrival of a nerve impulse and causes the transfer of the impulse to another nerve fiber, a muscle fiber, or some other structure.
• Neocortex: (n.) the part of the brain involved in higher functions such as sensory perception, generation of motor commands, spatial reasoning, conscious thought, and language.