Alcohol Is More Dangerous On Young Girl

California, The female brain is very susceptible to the dangers of alcohol because it develops earlier than the male brain. Teenage girls who like to drink alcohol can damage the brain that controls memory and spatial awareness.

California researchers found that alcohol can impair the ability of the memory in adolescent girls. It is based on testing of 95 adolescents aged 16 to 19 years conducted by researchers at several U.S. universities.

27 boys and 13 girls are fond of drinking (binge-drinking) were given tests neurophsychological and spatial memory tests. The same tests given to 31 boys and 24 girls who are not fond of drinking.

Teenage girls who like to drink alcohol is defined as those who drank more than three glasses of beer or more than four glasses of wine in one sitting. While the teenage boys who drank more than four glasses of beer or a bottle of wine.

By using MRI scans, the researchers found that teenage girls who drink heavily experience more brain activation decreased in some areas than in young men.

Decreased ability of the brain can cause problems when driving, sports that involve complex movements, using a map or remember the location of a place.

"Differences in brain activation negatively affected other functions, such as concentration and working memory," said Dr. Susan Tapert, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California, as reported by BBC News, Monday (07/18/2011).

Decline in brain function is more prevalent in adolescent girls. According to Dr. Tapert, young men studied did not have much effect to the same level.

"Teenage boys are fond of drinking showed some decline, but much less than women. This shows that adolescent girls may be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of heavy use of alcohol," concludes Dr. Tapert.