Biologists have shown that even a single dose of alcohol can irreversibly alter the brain.

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A research team from the University of Cologne and the Universities of Mannheim and Heidelberg found that even a single alcohol drink can permanently alter the morphology of neurons. The study was published in the journal PNAS.

Biologists have suggested that even a single ethanol use creates a positive association with alcohol in a person. The scientists tested the hypothesis in fruit fly and mouse models. They found that a single dose of ethanol disrupted the balance between mitochondrial dynamics and synapses in neurons.

Mitochondria provide cells with the energy they need to move within the cell. Alcohol disrupted this movement and the chemical balance between individual synapses. These changes remained constant and caused behavioral changes in the animals. Flies and mice that were introduced to alcohol at an early age consumed more alcohol and were at higher risk of alcohol poisoning later in life.

This morphological remodeling of neurons is a well-known basis for learning and memory. Therefore, some of the observed morphological changes may affect the formation of ethanol-related memory.

Researchers believe that the same mechanisms play a role in the formation of alcohol dependence in humans, and that a single intoxication may mean that alcohol consumption and alcohol relapse in later life may increase.

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