Aerobic Exercise May Prevent And Repair Brain Damage Caused By Heavy Drinking

Alcohol in large amounts has long been associated with damage to a brain's white matter, the bundle of nerves responsible for communication between the various parts of the organ. However, a new study conducted by the University of Colorado Boulder suggests that damage caused by heavy drinking may be prevented and reversed, even, through aerobic exercise.

"We found that for people who drink a lot and exercise a lot, there was not a strong relationship between alcohol and white matter," said lead study author Hollis Karoly, a doctoral student in psychology and neuroscience, in a press release. "But for people who drink a lot and don't exercise, our study showed the integrity of white matter is compromised in several areas of the brain."

When this happens, Karoly explained, the white matter is unable to move "messages between areas of the brain as efficiently as normal."

The study examined a total of 60 people, 37 men and 23 women, ranging from heavy to moderate drinkers. Each participant took the standardized Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which is used to detect potentially-hazardous drinking behavior. Subjects were also asked to self-report their successes and failures in attempting to control their drinking as well as the amount they exercised.

Furthermore, each participant underwent a modified MRI known as a Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), the imagery of which allowed researchers to track the position and direction of water molecules passing through the axons in the brain's white matter. The test also revealed the axons' orientation.

In particular, the team examined the external capsule, a collection of white matter fibers that connect different layers of the brain, and the superior longitudinal fasciculus, two bundles of neurons connecting the front and back of the cerebrum believed to be the place where thoughts, perception, judgment, decisions and imagination originate.

"What our data suggests is that beyond just giving people a different outlet for cravings or urges for alcohol, exercise might also help to repair the damage that may have been done to the brain," neuroscience Professor Angela Bryan said. "It might even be a more promising treatment for alcohol problems because it is both a behavioral treatment and a treatment that has the potential to make the brain more healthy."

Ultimately, as Bryan pointed out, the healthier the brain, "the more likely a person with alcohol issues is to recover."

Still, Karoly stressed the study is exploratory and that it was not the researchers' intention "to suggest a person can erase the physiological damage of years of heavy drinking with exercise." She then added, "Some of the specific mechanisms in the brain linked to heavy drinking and exercise are not well understood, and we hope our study will inspire future research on the topic."