A Longitudinal Examination of Alcohol-Related Blackouts as a Predictor of Changes in Learning, Memory, and Executive Function in Adolescents

Lorkiewicz, Sara A.; Baker, Fiona C.; Müller‐Oehring, Eva M.; Haas, Amie L.; Wickham, Robert E.; Sassoon, Stephanie A.; Clark, Duncan B.; Nooner, Kate B.; Tapert, Susan F.; Brown, Sandra A.; Schulte, Tilman

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.866051

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 84 publications

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“…Alcohol exposure in adolescents causes significant deficits in executive functioning, visuo-spatial skills, attention, and verbal and nonverbal memory [ 3 , 4 ]. Alcohol-induced partial or complete blocking of memory formation, known as alcohol blackout, is quite prevalent among adolescents [ 5 , 6 ]. The highest rate of such memory loss (32%) is seen in 16- and 17-year-olds [ 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral changes and dendritic remodeling of hippocampal neurons in adolescent alcohol-treated rats

Sircar

2023

Adv. Drug Alcohol Res.

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Objective: Earlier, we and others have reported that alcohol exposure in adolescent rat impaired performance of a spatial memory task in the Morris water maze. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of acute adolescent alcohol treatment on the hippocampus-dependent (contextual fear conditioning) and hippocampus-independent (cued fear) memories. The study also looked at the structural changes in anterior CA1 hippocampal neurons in adolescent alcohol-treated rats.Methods: Adolescent female rats were administered with a single dose of alcohol (1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 g/kg) or vehicle either before training (pre-training) or after training (pre-testing). Experimental and control rats were trained in the fear conditioning paradigm, and 24 h later tested for both contextual fear conditioning as well as cued fear memory. Separate groups of rats were treated with either alcohol (2 g/kg) or vehicle and sacrificed 24 h later. Their brains were harvested and processed for rapid Golgi staining. Randomly selected CA1 pyramidal neurons were analyzed for dendritic branching and dendritic spine density.Results: Pre-training alcohol dose-dependently attenuated acquisition of hippocampus-dependent contextual fear conditioning but had no effect on the acquisition of amygdala-associated cued fear. When administered following training (pre-testing), alcohol did not alter either contextual conditioning or cued fear memory. Golgi stained CA1 pyramidal neurons in alcohol treated female rats had reduced basilar tree branching and less complex dendritic arborization.Conclusion: Alcohol specifically impaired hippocampal learning in adolescent rats but not amygdala-associated cued fear memory. Compared to vehicle-treated rats, CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neurons in alcohol-treated rats had less complex dendritic morphology. Together, these data suggest that adolescent alcohol exposure produces changes in the neuronal organization of the hippocampus, and these changes may be related to impairments in hippocampus-dependent memory formation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral changes and dendritic remodeling of hippocampal neurons in adolescent alcohol-treated rats

Sircar

2023

Adv. Drug Alcohol Res.

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A daily-level examination of willingness to pregame, blackout, and hook up across drinking days: Associations with respective behavioral outcomes among adolescents and young adults

Litt,

Zhou,

Fairlie

et al. 2024

Addictive Behaviors

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The Interaction of Cannabis Consumption with Heavy Episodic Drinking and Alcohol-Induced Blackouts in Relation to Cannabis Use Consequences Among Recent Undergraduate College Cannabis Users

Guo,

Dai,

Ward

et al. 2023

Cannabis

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Introduction: Risky alcohol use patterns, characterized by heavy episodic drinking (HED) and alcohol- induced blackout, are prevalent in college students. However, it is not clear if experiencing HED and blackout among college-attending cannabis users heightens risk for adverse cannabis use consequences. The purpose of this study was to examine whether heavy episodic drinking and blackout episodes moderate the relationship between cannabis consumption and cannabis use consequences among college students. Methods: Undergraduate college students (n = 4331) were recruited from a Midwest University in 2021. This analysis used a subset of data from past 6-month cannabis users (n= 772; 17.8% of the full sample). Among cannabis users, 64.5% identified as female and 87.8% were White with an average age of 19.99 (SD=2.88). A linear regression was conducted with two two-way interactions of cannabis consumption and HED frequency as well as cannabis consumption and alcohol-induced blackout episodes. Results: Results showed a statistically significant positive association between cannabis consumption and cannabis use consequences (B=0.73, p<.001), adjusting for the other variables in the model. Blackout, but not HED, was a significant moderator (B=0.19, p=.003). Discussion: The findings of this study indicate that blackout experiences amplify the relationship between cannabis use and cannabis-related consequences among college students. This underscores that blackouts not only signal a risk of problematic drinking but also exacerbate the association between cannabis use and its negative consequences. Conclusion: Findings may inform college campus interventions targeting cannabis and alcohol concurrent-users who experience alcohol-induced blackouts to reduce their additional risk for cannabis-related consequences.

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A Longitudinal Examination of Alcohol-Related Blackouts as a Predictor of Changes in Learning, Memory, and Executive Function in Adolescents

Cited by 3 publications

References 84 publications

Behavioral changes and dendritic remodeling of hippocampal neurons in adolescent alcohol-treated rats

Behavioral changes and dendritic remodeling of hippocampal neurons in adolescent alcohol-treated rats

A daily-level examination of willingness to pregame, blackout, and hook up across drinking days: Associations with respective behavioral outcomes among adolescents and young adults

The Interaction of Cannabis Consumption with Heavy Episodic Drinking and Alcohol-Induced Blackouts in Relation to Cannabis Use Consequences Among Recent Undergraduate College Cannabis Users

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