Experts from Stanford University in the USA investigated how avoiding alcohol consumption for a long time improves brain health. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Alcohol.
Previous research had shown that some areas of the brain could recover when abstinent from alcohol, but the extent and shape of the recovery remained unclear. This uncertainty led scientists to begin an ongoing study aimed at shedding light on the brain’s ability to regenerate during sobriety.
To study the effects of abstinence, researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to analyze the brains of people seeking treatment for alcohol use disorders. 88 people with alcohol addiction participated in the research and 45 people formed the control group.
The researchers closely examined changes in cortical thickness over 7.3 months of abstinence. Cortical thickness is the thickness of the outer layer of the brain, which plays a critical role in various cognitive functions.
Of the 34 brain regions analyzed, 26 improved over the period. This suggests that the brain has the ability to repair and renew its structure in the absence of the effects of alcohol.
Participants who drank more alcohol during the year of the study showed decreased recovery in certain regions, including the pars orbitalis, pars triangularis, and pars supramarginal cortex. This suggests that the amount and duration of alcohol consumption may affect the rate of recovery.
Previous scientists listed consequences of alcohol abuse.