Alcohol & Memory Loss: Research Paper

Introduction

The title of the assignment is “Alcohol-related Dementia and Neurocognitive Impairment: A Case Study of College Students in the USA” because we are investigating the effects of alcohol on the brain cells. Importantly, we are studying how brain shrinkage, a common phenomenon in alcoholic individuals is measured by imaging tools.

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Research Question

Does alcohol consumption form a major cause of brain damage and memory loss? The interest of this research is to identify whether alcohol has detrimental consequences on the human brain. Also considered are the memory problems in clients diagnosed with alcoholism. Previous literature has shown that alcohol victims experience difficulty in walking, blurred vision, slowed reaction times, slurred speech, impaired memory among others (Ward, 2015). For instance, the US Department of Health & Human Services, National Institute of Health, and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in a document numbered 63 of October 2004 reports that alcohol can produce detectable impairments in memory after few drinks and that the more one consumes alcohol, the level of impairment increases. This script will also study whether such impairments can be settled when one stops drinking and if the brain damages can persist long after a heavy drinker attains soberness.

Parts of the Brain Studied

To make a constructive image that will aid in finding answers to the research question, this script will study the frontal lobes and the cerebellum parts of the brain. For instance, the frontal lobes are liable for the countless functions that are linked to learning and memory (Ward, 2015). It takes a primary role in future planning, self-management as well as decision making (Ward, 2015). Importantly, the frontal lobe aids speech and language production by organizing one’s thoughts into words (Ward, 2015). It also accommodates the key motor cortex that helps coordinate the voluntary movements that include walking and running (Ward, 2015). Additionally, it aids in comprehending and reacting to feelings of others as well as the formation of one’s personality (Ward, 2015). On the other hand, the cerebellum is responsible for the control of movement and coordination (Ward, 2015). It also accepts gesticulations from other brain segments, the spinal code as well as the senses.

The frontal lobes and the cerebellum are important parts to be studied when this research is conducted because they are useful in memory, an aspect that is severely affected by alcohol drinking among individuals. For instance, the previous research has shown that after drinking, some individuals forget the exit path leading and that to some, they cannot even stand on their own and walk away (Ward, 2015). This implies that the frontal lobes responsible for memory are damaged when one cannot remember the exit path and the cerebellum that is responsible for the coordination of movement is also affected when a drinker cannot stand and walk away on his own.

Hypothesis

According to the research done by the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Health, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, heavy drinking has detrimental impacts on the brain. This relates to the hypothesis in this script that is, “Heavy drinking makes all the drinkers disorientated due to brain damage”. This may turn out as predicted because after drinking, research has shown that individuals tend to experience a blackout and as a result, they are inclined to forget everything.

Summary of the Study

The study will be conducted by the use of both published literature and a survey. In the survey, one student with a history of drinking will be picked from a University in the US and scanned to record the observations. To ensure the effectiveness of the research, both DTI, PET scan, and MRI will be conducted. MRI and DTI are used concurrently to examine the brains of the alcohol victims when they initially stop chronic drinking and after long periods of attaining soberness to keep track of possible relapse to drinking (Hutchinson & Pierpaoli, 2017). In consequence, the MRI will enable the determination of the time taken to contract memory and attention after heavy drinking and the changes experienced when the same victim begins drinking again (Hutchinson & Pierpaoli, 2017). Contrarily, the PET scan will enable the analysis of the brain damages caused by heavy consumption of alcohol (Hutchinson & Pierpaoli, 2017). Additionally, the PET scan will be beneficial in observing the effects of alcoholism treatment and the abstinence on the damaged fragments of the brain cell (Hutchinson & Pierpaoli, 2017). The scan will be done before the individual drinks while drinking, and after drinking. This is so to check the consistency of the results and in effect, confirm the hypothesis.

Expected Results

Both the frontal lobes and the cerebellum parts of the brain work effectively when one does not drink at all. Here, an individual has a perfect memory and his movements are effectively coordinated. However, after light drinking, the frontal lobes and cerebellum can work but with little disturbance. Here, an individual can at least recall things and walk on his own with little or no difficulty. Fundamentally, after heavy drinking, the frontal lobes and cerebellum are badly affected and the individual is totally out of control as he cannot recall anything, and neither can he walk.

Potential Problems with the Study

According to Hutchinson & Pierpaoli (2017), the static magnetic field of MRI may trail on magnetic materials and as a result, cause unnecessary maneuvers that may interfere with the accuracy of imaging and interpretation. Again, since the study will only use a single individual, it may not be adequate to generalize the results on the entire population since alcoholics are not all indistinguishable.

References

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811917302173

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/7/#inbox/FMfcgxwHNgfrrhfPStZpgxTkHsZDHmJG?projector=1&messagePartId=0.3

Hutchinson, E. B., Schwerin, S. C., Radomski, K. L., Sadeghi, N., Jenkins, J., Komlosh, M. E., ... & Pierpaoli, C. (2017). Population-based MRI and DTI templates of the adult ferret brain and tools for voxelwise analysis. Neuroimage, 152, 575-589.

Ward, J. (2015). The student’s guide to cognitive neuroscience (3rd edition). Devon, UK: Psychology Press.