US researchers have found that the consumption of moderate amount of alcohol, improved the memory of rats in the long run.
Matthew During, a professor of molecular virology, at Ohio State University who conducted the study along with his colleagues, claims that the finding may help in curing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer.
"There is some evidence suggesting that mild to moderate alcohol consumption can protect against diseases like Alzheimer's in humans. But it's not apparent how this happens," said During.
He and a fellow researcher, Margaret Kalev-Zylinska, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Auckland, in New Zealand, uncovered a neuronal mechanism that may help explain the link between alcohol and improved memory.
"We saw a noticeable change on the surface of certain neurons in rats that were given alcohol," During said, adding: "This change may have something to do with the positive effects of alcohol on memory."
"The results suggest that both doses of alcohol moderately improved the animals' ability to remember this negative event, since they seemed hesitant to go into the dark area. It also suggests that high levels of alcohol can reinforce bad memories," During said.
He also suggested drinking to forget bad memories was a bad idea as it may not help.
"People who drink to forget bad memories may actually be doing the opposite by reinforcing the neural circuits that control negative emotional memory," he continued.
The researchers analyzed brain and liver tissue of rats after giving them varying amounts of alcohol. They found that low levels of alcohol increased the expression of a particular receptor, NR1, on the surface of neurons in a region of the brain, the hippocampus, which plays a role in memory.
Researchers think that NR1 plays a role in memory and learning. The researchers presented their findings at the annual Society for Neuroscience conference in Atlanta.
