Does Drinking Kill Brain Cells?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Studies ShowAlcohol and Brain DamageWernicke-Korsakoff SyndromeNeurogenesis InterferenceFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Studies Show

Alcohol and Brain Damage

Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Neurogenesis Interference

Frequently Asked Questions

The idea that having a few too many drinks permanently kills off brain cells has been around for some time. Chronic heavy drinking has long been associated with mental deficits, and alcohol exposure during critical periods of brain development, such asprenatallyor during the teenage years, is also particularly dangerous. But is having that glass of wine after dinner really putting you at risk for neural loss?

Experts believe that drinking does not actually lead to brain cell death—at least not directly.One study found no difference in the number of neocorticalneuronsbetween the brains of people who misuse alcohol and those who do not.

Even heavy binge drinking and long-term alcohol abuse don’t result in the actual death of brain cells. Instead, alcohol damages the dendrites in the cerebellum and impai the communication between neurons. Researchers discovered that alcohol use not only disrupts communication between neurons; it can also alter their structure.One thing they found it does not do: kill off cells.

Studies involving rats found that halting alcohol intake—even after chronic abuse—allows the brain to heal itself.

Although alcohol might not cause actual neural death, alcohol misuse can and does lead tobrain damage. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism notes that a number of factors can influence exactly how alcohol impacts the brain, including how much and how often a person drinks, how long the individual has been drinking, prenatal exposure to alcohol, and the overall state of a person’s health.

Although alcohol might not actually “kill” brain cells, research does suggest that high levels of alcohol can interfere withneurogenesis(the formation of new brain cells). Until fairly recently, many experts believed that adults were not able to grow new neurons in the brain. That myth has since been dispelled, and brain experts now recognize that specific regions of the brain continue to form new cells even well into old age.

Obviously, this does not mean that people should ignore the potential dangers of alcohol. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism notes that a number of factors influence how alcohol affects the brain, including how much and how often a person drinks, how long the individual has been drinking, prenatal exposure to alcohol, and the overall state of a person’s health.

Does Drinking Kill Brain Cells?

Brain Shrinkage

Even moderate alcohol consumption is associated with hppocampus damage—specifically, shrinkage.Remarkably, research indicates that abstinence from alcohol can reverse some of this atrophy.

What Is the Hippocampus?The hippocampus plays a crucial part in learning and memory. Its complex, delicate structure is vulnerable to damage.

What Is the Hippocampus?

The hippocampus plays a crucial part in learning and memory. Its complex, delicate structure is vulnerable to damage.

A Word From Verywell

Although alcohol doesn’tdirectlykill brain cells, it inhibits the formation of new ones, can cause neurological disorders over time, impairs brain function, and has other serioushealth consequences. If you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol misuse or addiction, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area. For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Research is ongoing, but recent studies indicate that the process of brain cell regeneration, neurogenesis, occurs throughout life. So far, this regrowth seems limited to the brain regions known as the hippocampus and amygdala, but we need more and broader research to determine the scope of neurogenesis and its implications for aging-related cognitive deficits such as Alzheimer’s disease.Learn More:How New Brain Cells Regenerate

Research is ongoing, but recent studies indicate that the process of brain cell regeneration, neurogenesis, occurs throughout life. So far, this regrowth seems limited to the brain regions known as the hippocampus and amygdala, but we need more and broader research to determine the scope of neurogenesis and its implications for aging-related cognitive deficits such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Learn More:How New Brain Cells Regenerate

Learn More:Overview of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome or Alcohol Dementia

Whether red wine is good for you is still a topic of debate among researchers. An ingredient in red wine, resveratrol, was shown to be beneficial in studies with mice, but you’d have to drink gallons of wine to attain the same dose. Resveratrol supplements show no appreciable benefits in humans.

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Jensen GB, Pakkenberg B.Do alcoholics drink their neurons away?Lancet. 1993;342(8881):1201-1204. DOI:10.1016/0140-6736(93)92185-v

Alcohol Disrupts the Communication Between Neurons. The Alcohol Pharmacology Education Partnership.

Recovery of neurocognitive functions following sustained abstinence after substance dependence and implications for treatment.Clinical Psychology Review. 2014;34(7):531-550. DOI:10.1016/j.cpr.2014.08.002

Alcohol and the brain: An overview. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

Topiwala A, Allan CL, Valkanova V, et al.Moderate alcohol consumption as risk factor for adverse brain outcomes and cognitive decline: Longitudinal cohort study.BMJ. 2017;357:j2353. doi:10.1136/bmj.j2353

Anand KS, Dhikav V.Hippocampus in health and disease: An overview.Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2012;15(4):239-246. doi:10.4103%2F0972-2327.104323

Bates, M. E., and Tracy, J. I. (1990). Cognitive Functioning in Young “Social Drinkers”: Is There Impairment to Detect?Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 99, 242-249.Jensen, G. B., & Pakkenberg, B. (1993). Do Alcoholics Drink Their Neurons Away?The Lancet, 342(8881), 1201-1204.National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2004). Alcohol’s Damaging Effects on the Brain.Alcohol Alert, 63.Nixon, K. and Crews, F. (2004). Temporally Specific Burst in Cell Proliferation Increases Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Protracted Abstinence From Alcohol.The Journal of Neuroscience, 24(43),9714-9722.

Bates, M. E., and Tracy, J. I. (1990). Cognitive Functioning in Young “Social Drinkers”: Is There Impairment to Detect?Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 99, 242-249.

Jensen, G. B., & Pakkenberg, B. (1993). Do Alcoholics Drink Their Neurons Away?The Lancet, 342(8881), 1201-1204.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2004). Alcohol’s Damaging Effects on the Brain.Alcohol Alert, 63.

Nixon, K. and Crews, F. (2004). Temporally Specific Burst in Cell Proliferation Increases Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Protracted Abstinence From Alcohol.The Journal of Neuroscience, 24(43),9714-9722.

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