(India Times) – “In the eyes of the law, once people reach the age of 18, they are considered adult but the brain continues to mature and refine all the way into the mid-20s,” explained lead author Mary-Louise Risher, post-doctoral researcher at Duke University.
It is important for young people to know that when they drink heavily during this period of development, “there could be changes occurring that have a lasting impact on memory and other cognitive functions,” Risher noted.
The researchers periodically exposed young rodents to a level of alcohol during adolescence that, in humans, would result in impairment, but not sedation.
Afterward, these animals received no further exposure to alcohol, and grew into adulthood — which in rats occurred within 24 to 29 days.