Binge Drinking, Alone or With Cannabis, During Adolescence Triggers Different Effects on Immediate Visual Memory in Men and Women

Abstract

Background: This study examines the interaction between a history of binge drinking (BD), alone or with cannabis consumption, and the effects of acute alcohol exposure on immediate visual memory (IVM) (faces memory task, scenes memory task and IVM-IQ) in adolescents of both sexes.Method: Two hundred and ninety adolescents, grouped into refrainers, binge drinkers and subjects with a history of simultaneous BD/Cannabis co-use, received a risk dose of alcohol or a control drink.Results: Consumption Pattern (refrainers vs. binge drinkers vs. BD/Cannabis consumers) was not significant, while Treatment (acute alcohol vs. control drink) was significant in both sexes. Also, male binge drinkers' performance in the faces memory task was poorer than that of refrainers and BD/Cannabis consumers who consumed the control drink. BD/Cannabis consumers performed this task as capably as refrainers. In women, binge drinkers performed better than refrainers in scene memory and IVM-IQ tests when given alcohol, and binge drinkers performed worse than refrainers after consuming the control drink.Conclusions: Acute alcohol consumption worsens IVM. Cannabis exerts a buffering effect in men. A cognitive tolerance effect is observed in women. Exposure during adolescence to alcohol, alone or with cannabis, can trigger different cognitive effects in men and women that could endure into adulthood.

Visual memory and alcohol use in a middle-aged birth cohort

“…Heavy drinking has also been found to be associated with impaired visual memory [ 2 ] and reaction time [ 4 ]. Heavy episodic drinking has also been found to be associated with poor visual memory in adolescents [ 9 ]. A positive association between moderate drinking and cognition has also been found [ 65 ].…”

“…Visual memory is the capacity to remember what has previously been seen in the form of visual images [ 8 ]. Heavy episodic drinking has been found to be associated with impaired visual memory in both male and female adolescents [ 9 ]. Light and moderate drinking, on the other hand, have not been found to be associated with cognitive impairment.…”