Drinkers who dry out for over a month experience brain growth CAIRO: Boozehounds, who jump started the year with alcohol-fueled revelry still have a chance to re-grow parts of their brain. A new study says that alcoholics who quit drinking can enjoy considerable brain growth. European researchers found that alcoholics who dried out for 38 days experience brain growth of about two percent. Even more encouraging for would-be hangover victims is evidence that six weeks on the wagon results in higher readings of brain chemicals linked to the powers of concentration and increased attention spans. "The core message is that, for alcoholics, abstinence pays off and enables the brain to regain some substance and perform better, says German neurologist Andreas Bartsch, a researcher and neurologist at the University of Wuerzburg. The study, released this month by the online journal Brain, also found that the sooner people quit drinking, the better the results. Bartsch led a team of researchers from Britain, Switzerland and Italy, who picked 15 adult alcoholics, 10 men and five women, and used hi-tech gear like MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to measure the subjects' brain volumes. The researchers also checked levels of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and choline, which are linked to brain power, and tested the subjects' concentration abilities. A control group of 10 healthy adults was used as a yardstick for the results. However, the good news comes with a warning, says Bartsch. While blurry vision, slurred speech and a release of inhibitions can result from only a few drinks, long-term alcohol abuse can hamper the brain's regeneration to bounce back. After a six-week period of abstinence from booze, the researchers tested the subjects and found that their brains had grown in all but one case - the patient who had been drinking for 25 years, which was the longest history of alcohol use in the group. "[This] shows the longer you drink excessively, the more you risk losing this capacity for (brain) regeneration. Therefore, alcoholics must not put off the time when they decide to seek help and stop drinking, says Bartsch. The brain-growth ranged from 0.19 percent up to 4.32 percent, with an average of about two percent. All of the patients also scored better on concentration tests conducted after the six week period. Bartsch says that the study illustrates that the adult human brain seems to possess genuine capabilities for regrowth, and that the findings show the ways the brain can recover from chronic alcoholism. "However, they also suggest prolonged dependence on alcohol may limit rapid recovery from brain injury.
