Academic Journal
Does habitual moderate alcohol consumption enhance working memory performance?
| Title: | Does habitual moderate alcohol consumption enhance working memory performance? |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Selene Cansino, Frine Torres-Trejo, Cinthya Estrada-Manilla, Silvia Ruíz-Velasco |
| Source: | Current Psychology. 43:13785-13801 |
| Publisher Information: | Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2023. |
| Publication Year: | 2023 |
| Subject Terms: | Epidemiology and Interventions for Substance Use Disorders, Epidemiology, Developmental psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Pathology and Forensic Medicine, 03 medical and health sciences, Cognition, 0302 clinical medicine, Health Sciences, Psychology, Alcohol consumption, 10. No inequality, College Drinking, Psychiatry, Abstinence, Working memory, Life Sciences, Neural Mechanisms of Cognitive Control and Decision Making, Audiology, 16. Peace & justice, 3. Good health, FOS: Psychology, Chemistry, Pathogenesis and Treatment of Alcoholic Liver Disease, Medicine, Alcohol, Neuroscience |
| Description: | The present study aimed to establish whether habitual alcohol consumption benefits verbal and spatial working memory performance after addressing the main criticisms that have been raised against the finding that alcohol benefits cognition. An adult lifespan sample of 1,652 healthy adults between 21 and 80 years of age participated in the study. Participants were classified as lifetime nondrinkers or drinkers, and several demographic and biological variables were controlled. Alcohol consumption was assessed through a lifestyle questionnaire created for the study. Working memory was measured through a 2-back computerized task. Discrimination and speed in verbal and spatial working memory among drinkers were superior to those among nondrinkers. Total alcohol intake across life and the amount of alcohol intake per week predicted higher verbal and spatial working memory discrimination. Beer drinkers showed more accurate and faster responses in verbal and spatial working memory than nondrinkers, wine drinkers and spirit drinkers. The optimal amount of alcohol intake to benefit working memory for women and men was 100 g per week, which is equivalent to one drink per day. After consuming 350 g of alcohol per week, equivalent to 25 drinks per week, the effects of alcohol on working memory become more negative than the effects of alcohol abstinence. While alcohol consumption is considered a risk factor for several diseases, we found that moderate alcohol intake benefits working memory performance throughout the adult lifespan to a greater extent than whole-life abstinence. |
| Document Type: | Article Other literature type |
| Language: | English |
| ISSN: | 1936-4733 1046-1310 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s12144-023-05459-3 |
| DOI: | 10.60692/chc7n-9qs30 |
| DOI: | 10.60692/dq5xk-xe405 |
| Rights: | CC BY |
| Accession Number: | edsair.doi.dedup.....e6e811edaca310c45e02a6e41c63d694 |
| Database: | OpenAIRE |
| ISSN: | 19364733 10461310 |
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| DOI: | 10.1007/s12144-023-05459-3 |