Summary of article on human intelligence or memory Essay

Summary of article on human intelligence or memory - Essay Example How alcohol affects the brain and the impact of heavy drinking on the brain and memory has always been a topic of research. Well, there are several factors that determine the severity of the affect of alcohol on the brain. Some of the factors include the quantity of alcohol being consumed by a person, age, gender and his or her general health status. Alcohol consumption can have noticeable impairments in memory only after a few drinks. And as the amount of alcohol consumption increases, the degree of impairment also increases accordingly. If one consumes alcohol regularly in an empty stomach, it can create a blackout and the drunken person fail to recall the events, if any. Blackouts have been found to be a common symptom among social drinkers regardless of age, and sex. A survey conducted on college undergraduates revealed that 51 percent experienced blackouts in some point in their lives while 40 percent experienced blackout one year before the survey ("Alcohol’s damaging effects," 2004). Many students however, reported that they could not even remember events such as vandalism, driving and unprotected sex. Both men and women experience black outs. A new research study reveals that regardless the amount of alcohol consumed, women’s tendency to black outs is more than males. And the result also shows that there is a significant difference in alcohol metabolism in males and females. In addition, the result shows that females may be more susceptible to alcohol than males. Does the above outcome show that women are more vulnerable to alcohol’s effects on the brain? Well, many studies reveal that women are more vulnerable than men. Alcoholic women develop various problems including cirrhosis, heart muscle damage and nerve damage. However, studies regarding the sensitivity to alcohol-induced brain damage in men and women have not been as convincing yet. However, brain shrinkage