The Hippocampus and Alcohol: Blackouts, Memory Deficits, and Learned Associations (E220)

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The hippocampus is an important part of the brain, which is unfortunately very vulnerable to alcohol. It is most well-known for its role in blackouts, but damage to the hippocampus from our drinking can cause problems with everyday memory too, like telling someone the same story over and over again. The hippocampus has a lesser known, but very important role in learned associations. Associations are cues in the environment that help us predict an alcohol reward, so they cause cravings to drink. In this episode, I’ll describe how alcohol damages the hippocampus to cause blackouts, impair our memory, and form associations with alcohol. You’ll learn how this damage persists in sobriety and how long it takes for the hippocampus to heal.

What to listen to next

E211: the anticipation of a drink

E218: in the moment craving vs constant craving

E196: how the brain recovers in sobriety

E210: the brain heals a lot in 90 days (unless you relapse)

E191: going back and forth makes your cravings stronger

Bonus Episode: 3 Ways to Improve Hippocampus Function

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Cite:

Gillian Tietz. The Hippocampus and Alcohol: Blackouts, Memory Deficits, and Learned Associations (E220). Sober Powered. 2024

Please respect my intellectual property and properly credit me if you share my work.

Sources

1. Arciniegas, D. et al. Hippocampus Volume Loss Due to Chronic Heavy Drinking. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. 2006.

2. Heffernan, T. et al. Alcohol Hangover Has Detrimental Impact Upon Both Executive Function and Prospective Memory. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2019

3. Bartels, C. et al. Recovery of hippocampus-related functions in chronic alcoholics during monitored long-term abstinence. Alcohol. 2007

4. Ian C. Ballard, Anthony D. Wagner, Samuel M. McClure. Hippocampal pattern separation supports reinforcement learning. Nature Communications, 2019