The Brain & Alcohol: Facts & Information

by David J. Hanson, Ph. D.

What is the effect of moderate alcohol consumption on the brain? Does it damage the brain cells of young people? Does it help maintain mental ability? Does it reduce Alzheimer‘s disease and other forms of dementia?

The answers to these and other questions about the effects of moderate drinking on the brain are found in the links below.

I. Alcohol and Improved Thinking, Reasoning and Cognition

• Drinking Alcohol Improves Brain Functioning
• Drinking Alcohol Helps Brain Cognition
• Drinking Alcohol and Mental Functioning
• Drinking Alcohol in Moderation Benefits Brain Functioning
• Moderate Alcohol Drinking Beneficial to Mental Functioning
• Moderate Alcohol Consumption & Better Cognitive Function in Women
• Moderate Alcohol Drinking Helps Memory
• Drinking Alcohol in Moderation Good for Memory and Thinking
• Drinking Alcohol in Moderation Reduces Cognitive Impairment

II. Alcohol and Stroke or “Brain Attack”

• Drinking Alcohol can Help Prevent Stroke
• Moderate Drinking Reduces Risk of Stroke
• Drinking Alcohol Reduces Risk of Stroke

III. Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

• Drinking Alcohol and Dementia
• Moderate Drinking of Alcohol Reduces Dementia Risk
• Moderate Drinking of Alcohol Improves Later Cognition
• Drinking Alcohol and Dementia/Alzheimer's Disease
• Drinking Alcohol may reduce Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
• Mediterranean Diet and Alzheimer’s Disease Risk

IV. Alcohol and Brain Damage

• “Drinking Alcohol Damages Teenagers’ Brains”
• Brain Development and Drinking Alcohol
• Religion and Alcohol Brain Damage
• Does Drinking Alcohol Kill Brain Cells?
• Brain Repairs Itself after Chronic Alcohol Abuse
• Dissenting Ideas on the New Brain Science

V. Alcohol and Behavior

• Drinking Alcohol and Bad Behaviors
• Drinking Alcohol, Sex and Violence
• Alcohol, Water and Memory
• Reducing Alcohol-Related Problems: What We can Learn from Others
• Age of First Drink of Alcohol
• Drinking at an Early Age (Early Onset of Drinking) and Later Alcohol Problems: New Research

Print Resources

Antilla, Tiia, et al. Alcohol drinking in middle age and subsequent risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in old age: a prospective population based study. British Medical Journal, 2004, 329, 538-539.

Baum-Baicker, C., The psychological benefits of moderate alcohol consumption: A review of the literature. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 1985, 15.

Bond, G., et al. Alcohol, aging and cognitive performance in a cohort of Japanese-Americans aged 65 and older: The Kame Project. International Psychogeriatrics, 2001, 13(2), 207-223.

Christian, J. Moderate alcohol consumption helps preserve reasoning skills. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 1995, 56, 414-416.

Cupples, L., et al. Effects of smoking, alcohol, and APO genotype on Alzheimer’s disease: the MIRAGE Study. Alzheimer Report, 2000, 3, 105-114.

Dufouil, C., et al. Sex differences in the association between alcohol consumption and cognitive Performance. American Journal of Epidemiology, 1997, 146(5), 405-412.

Elias, P., et al. Alcohol consumption and cognitive performance in the Framingham Heart Study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 1999, 150(6), 550-589.

Galanis, D. J., et al. A longitudinal study of drinking and cognitive performance in elderly Japanese American men: The Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. American Journal of Public Health, 2000, 90, 1254-1259.

Hendrie, H., et al. The relationship between alcohol consumption, cognitive performance, and daily functioning in an urban sample of older black Americans. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 1996, 44(10), 1158-1165.

Launer, L., et al. Smoking, drinking and thinking: the Zutphen Elderly Study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 1996, 143(3), 219-227.

McDougall, Graham. Older Women's Cognitive and Affective Response to Moderate Drinking. Presented at the meetings of the National Congress on the State of Science in Nursing Research. Washington, D.C., October 7-8,2004; University of Texas at Austin. Moderate drinking in older adult women has positive influence on memory. News release, October 3, 2004.

Mulkamal, K.J., et al. Prospective study of alcohol consumption and risk of dementia in older adults. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2003 (March 19), 289, 1405-1413.

Orgogozo, M., et al. Wine consumption and dementia in the elderly: A prospective community study in the Bordeaux area. Revue Neurologique, 1997, 151(3).

Ruitenberg, A., et al. Alcohol consumption and risk of dementia: the Rotterdam Study. Lancet, 2002, 359(9303), 281-286.

Stampfer, M.J., et al. Effects of moderate alcohol consumption on cognitive function in women. New England Journal of Medicine, 2005, 352, 245-253.

Tyson, P., and Schirmuly, M. Memory enhancement after drinking ethanol: Consolidation, Interference, or response bias? Psychology and Behavior, 1994, 56(5), 933-937.

Zuccala, G. , et al. Dose-related impact of alcohol consumption on cognitive function in advanced age: Results of a multicenter study. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2001, 25, 1743-1748.