Starting youngChitra Mandyam of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, and colleagues gave four rhesus macaque monkeys citrus-flavoured alcoholic drinks for an hour a day over a period of 11 months. Two months later the animals were killed, and their brains were compared with those of monkeys that had not consumed alcohol.
The bingeing monkeys had 50 to 90 per cent fewer stem cells in their hippocampus compared with the controls. "We saw a profound decrease in vital cells," Mandyam says.
"What is important for the public to know is that this type of drinking can kill off stem cells." This loss could result in damage to memory and spatial skills, she adds.
