A University researcher warned members of the campus community about the detrimental effects of alcohol on the brain - but highlighted the possibility of rectifying the damage - during a seminar Monday.
Fulton Crews, director of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, discussed the effects of alcohol on the adult brain with about 30 graduate students, faculty and staff members.
Crews' remarks were based partly on a study that suggests alcoholism can lead to permanent brain damage that affects relearning processes.
Crews, who is chairman of the extramural advisory board of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - the foremost source of alcohol-related research in the country - also stressed the importance of warning friends that binge drinking can lead to alcoholism later in life.
"Moderation is key," he said after the discussion.
During the seminar, titled "Neurodegeneration and Regeneration in the Adult Brain: What Can We Learn from Alcoholism?" Crews discussed a number of studies conducted at the Bowles Center that focus on neurogenesis - the process by which the brain forms new neurons and cells.
"Cycles of alcoholic drinking cause a ramp up in inflammatory episodes," he said.
This inflammation permanently alters the brain and potentially can damage one's ability to relearn.
And the combination of binge drinking, the increase of inflammation and the decrease of neurogenesis eventually can lead to addiction, he said.
