Mende Melinda Alicia
Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
Front Neurosci. 2019 Jul 5;13:713. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00713. eCollection 2019.
As our society grows older new challenges for medicine and healthcare emerge. Age-related changes of the body have been observed in essential body functions, particularly in the loco-motor system, in the cardiovascular system and in cognitive functions concerning both brain plasticity and changes in behavior. Nutrition and lifestyle, such as nicotine intake and chronic alcohol consumption, also contribute to biological changes in the brain. This review addresses the effect of alcohol consumption on cognitive decline, changes in brain plasticity in the aging brain and on cardiovascular health in aging. Thus, studies on the interplay of chronic alcohol intake and either cognitive decline or cognitive preservation are outlined. Because of the inconsistency in the literature of whether alcohol consumption preserves cognitive functions in the aging brain or whether it accelerates cognitive decline, it is crucial to consider individual contributing factors such as culture, health and lifestyle in future studies.
随着我们的社会老龄化，医学和医疗保健面临新的挑战。在身体的基本功能中已观察到与年龄相关的变化，特别是在运动系统、心血管系统以及涉及大脑可塑性和行为变化的认知功能方面。营养和生活方式，如尼古丁摄入和长期饮酒，也会导致大脑发生生物学变化。本综述探讨了饮酒对认知衰退、衰老大脑中大脑可塑性变化以及衰老过程中心血管健康的影响。因此，概述了关于长期饮酒与认知衰退或认知保持之间相互作用的研究。由于文献中关于饮酒是能保护衰老大脑的认知功能还是会加速认知衰退存在不一致性，在未来的研究中考虑个体的影响因素，如文化、健康和生活方式，至关重要。
