Binge-drinking 'rewires a teenager's brain' leaving them more at risk of ...

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Binge drinking may make teenagers depressed and prone to alcohol-use disorders in later life, research suggests.  

A study found overindulging in alcohol as a teen alters the expression of the protein BDNF, which controls fear and anxiety in the grey matter of the brain.

When the scientists analysed the brain tissue of more than 40 deceased patients, they found those who binged as teenagers had up to 40 per cent less BDNF.

'BDNF is needed for normal development in the brain and for connections to form between neurons,' the researchers claim.  

Changing this protein's expression may increase an adolescent's risk of psychological problems - and alcoholism - as an adult, they add.

The research was carried out by Illinois University and led by Professor Subhash Pandey, director of the Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics. 

Binge drinking is generally defined as consuming more than six units of alcohol in one session. This is the equivalent of around two-to-three glasses of wine or beer. 

Last year, teenage girls in England, Scotland and Wales made up three of the top six spots in a World Health Organization league table of binge drinking across 36 European nations.  

And in the US, one in six adults binge drinks around four times a month, with the habit being most common in those aged 18-to-34, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.   

To determine alcohol's effect on the brain, the scientists analysed the postmortem results of 44 people who died in their mid-to-late fifties in Sydney.

Of the deceased, 11 were heavy drinkers as teenagers, 11 binged in later life and the remaining 22 had no history of alcohol abuse.