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Title: ALCOHOL-INDUCED IMPAIRMENT AND ENHANCEMENT OF MEMORY: A TEST OF INTERFERENCE THEORY

Author
item MOULTON, PATRICIA - UNIV NORTH DAKOTA
item PETROS, THOMAS - UNIV NORTH DAKOTA
item APOSTAL, KATHRYN - UNIV NORTH DAKOTA
item PARK, RONALD - UNIV NORTH DAKOTA
item RONNING, ELIZABETH - UNIV NORTH DAKOTA
item KING, BRENT - UNIV NORTH DAKOTA
item Penland, James

Submitted to: Physiology & Behavior
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/8/2005
Publication Date: 6/1/2005
Citation: Moulton, P.L., Petros, T.V., Apostal, K.J., Park, R.V., II, Ronning, E.A., King, B.M., Penland, J.G. 2005. Alcohol-induced impairment and enhancement of memory: A test of the interference theory. Physiology and Behavior. 85(3):240-245.

Interpretive Summary: While it is generally assumed that alcohol intoxication impairs memory, learning theory suggests that intoxication may actually benefit subsequent memory under some conditions. In this placebo-controlled study, men aged 21-39 years were asked to learn two prose (meaningful text) passages and then to drink juice containing either 2.0 mL/kg of 100 proof vodka (24 men) or a placebo (27 men) during a 60-min period. Men drinking alcohol became intoxicated as indicated by an average breath alcohol level (BAL) of 0.07. All participants then learned and were immediately tested on four additional passages. As expected, alcohol significantly impaired immediate recall. Four hours later, BAL of men who drank alcohol had dropped to 0.03, their recall was tested on the two passages learned before alcohol consumption and they were given several standardized tests of working (short-term) memory. While there were no alcohol effects on working memory, participants who consumed alcohol performed better than those who didn't on long-term memory for passages learned prior to consumption (p<0.05). The results show for the first time in the same individuals that alcohol intoxication can have both inhibitory (immediate recall) and facilitory (post-intoxication test of pre-intoxication learning) effects on memory. Findings also support an interference theory of facilitation that proposes alcohol intoxication impairs the acquisition of new interfering memories to facilitate memory for material learned prior to intoxication.

Technical Abstract: Many studies have found cognitive deficits related to alcohol consumption, including impaired memory during and following intoxication. However, few studies have examined whether post-intoxication memory for material presented prior to alcohol consumption might be enhanced by interference with the acquisition of new memories during intoxication. The present study examined effects of alcohol on cognitive performance using a prose recall task during acute intoxication and a post-intoxication recall task for prose passages presented before intoxication. Fifty-one men were given either 2.0 ml/kg of 100 proof vodka or a placebo. Evidence was found of acute intoxication impairment in prose memory, along with facilitation of post-intoxication memory for prose learned prior to alcohol intoxication.