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The Hangover Hypothesis and the Influence of Moderate Social Drinking on Mental Ability
Author(s) -
Bowden Stephen C.,
Walton Nigel H.,
Walsh Kevin W.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1988.tb00127.x
Subject(s) - alcohol , blood alcohol , alcohol consumption , ingestion , psychology , alcohol intoxication , cognition , alcohol and health , brain function , clinical psychology , medicine , psychiatry , poison control , injury prevention , environmental health , neuroscience , biology , biochemistry
The “hangover” hypothesis proposes that there is some residual effect of low to moderate alcohol intake on the nervous system after the blood alcohol level has returned to zero. This notion has been invoked to explain the putative effects of moderate alcohol consumption on mental ability. We evaluated the hangover hypothesis by attempting to predict cognitive performance from self‐reports of alcohol consumed during the week prior to testing. We found no meaningful evidence to support the notion that moderate alcohol Ingestion produces a measurable toxic effect on brain function after the period of acute intoxication.