A Toast for Memory

Previous data from animal studies suggest that modest alcohol consumption may raise the volume of the brain’s hippocampus – the region involved in episodic memory, by promoting generation of new nerve cells in the area.  Brian Downer, from University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (Texas, USA), and colleagues analyzed data ccolected on over 660 subjects enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort. Participants were surveyed for alcohol consumption habits, administered neuropsychological assessments, assessed for the presence or absence of the genetic Alzheimer’s disease risk factor APOE e4, and underwent MRI brain scans.  The researchers found that light and moderate alcohol consumption in older people is associated with higher episodic memory and is linked with larger hippocampal brain volume. Amount of alcohol consumption had no impact on executive function or overall mental ability. The study authors write that: “The findings from this study provide new evidence that hippocampal volume may contribute to the observed differences in episodic memory among older adults and late life alcohol consumption status.”