How does alcohol cause blackouts?
In 1969, Dr. Donald Goodwin gathered a group of study participants and asked them each to recall the
object he'd shown them two minutes prior.
1969 年，唐纳德·古德温 (Donald Goodwin) 博士召集了一组研究参与者，要求他们每个人回忆一下他两分钟前向他们展示的物
体。
The twist?
《Twist?
All the participants were very intoxicated.
所有参与者都非常陶醉。
Despite this, most could pay attention to the task and correctly name the toy they had just seen.
尽管如此，大多数人都可以注意这项任务并正确地命名他们刚刚看到的玩具。
Yet, when Donald asked them to recall that object a mere 30 minutes later, half the participants drew a
blank, having "blacked out" the earlier moment entirely.
然而，仅仅 30 分钟后， 当唐纳德要求他们回忆那个物体时，一半的参与者一片空白，完全“忘记” 了之前的那一刻。
This study illustrates the strange and somewhat selective effects alcohol has on the brain.
这项研究说明了酒精对大脑产生的奇怪且有选择性的影响。
Many intoxicated people can perform complex tasks like holding a detailed conversation or navigating a
walk home.
许多喝醉的人可以执行复杂的任务，例如进行详细的对话或步行回家。
Yet for those experiencing what is known as a blackout, the memory of these events is quickly forgotten.
然而， 对于那些经历过所谓停电的人来说，这些事件的记忆很快就会被遗忘。
So how does alcohol cause these memory lapses?
那么酒精是如何导致这些记忆丧失的呢？
First, let's identify the culprit.
首先，让我们找出罪魁祸首。
While a single drink often contains hundreds of different chemical compounds, ethanol is responsible for
alcohol's effects on the brain.
虽然一杯饮料通常含有数百种不同的化合物，但酒精对大脑的影响是由乙醇造成的。
Ethanol is lightweight and lipophilic, meaning its structure easily dissolves into fats, like those in the
membranes of the outer blood-brain barrier.
乙醇重量轻且具有亲脂性，这意味着它的结构很容易溶解成脂肪，就像外血脑屏障膜中的脂肪一样。
Once inside the brain, ethanol's unique structure allows it to bind to, interact, and affect many different
neuronal receptors, impairing pathways that allow you to make careful decisions, control your impulses,
and even manage your motor skills.
一旦进入大脑，乙醇的独特结构使其能够与许多不同的神经元受体结合、相互作用和影响，从而损害您做出谨慎决策、控制冲动甚
至管理运动技能的通路。
And the networks that control memory seem to be especially sensitive to alcohol's effects.
控制记忆的网络似乎对酒精的影响特别敏感。
Typically, information about your surroundings is taken in by your sensory organs and sent to the brain.
通常，有关周围环境的信息被您的感觉器官吸收并发送到大脑。
Neurons transfer this information to one another via chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, which
are released by one neuron and received by receptors at another.
神经元通过称为神经递质的化学信使将这些信息传递给彼此，这些信使由一个神经元释放并由另一个神经元的受体接收。
When a neurotransmitter binds to a receptor, it unlocks an internal channel, allowing small ions to flow
into the cell.
当神经递质与受体结合时，它会解锁内部通道， 允许小离子流入细胞。
If enough ions enter the cell, the neuron fires, sending the signal forward.
如果有足够的离子进入细胞，神经元就会发射，向前发送信号。
Through this process, different regions of the brain can communicate with one another in milliseconds,
creating our moment-to-moment understanding of the world.
通过这个过程， 大脑的不同区域可以在几毫秒内相互交流，从而创造我们对世界的时刻理解。
But ethanol interacts with receptors, making it harder for neurons to communicate.
但乙醇与受体相互作用，使神经元更难交流。
While compromised, the brain is still able to transfer information, which is why many intoxicated people
seem somewhat capable of performing basic tasks.
尽管受到损害， 大脑仍然能够传输信息，这就是为什么许多醉酒的人似乎有能力执行基本任务。
In other words, brain function is highly impaired, but not completely broken.
换句话说，大脑功能受到严重损害，但并未完全破坏。
But memory storage is a different story.
但内存存储却是另一回事。
The transfer of moment-to-moment understanding to something we can remember is thought to depend
on a process called long-term potentiation, or LTP.
人们认为，将瞬间的理解转变为我们能记住的东西取决于一个称为长时程增强（LTP）的过程。
LTP happens throughout the brain, but is especially important in learning and memory regions, like the
neocortex and the hippocampus.
LTP 发生在整个大脑中，但在学习和记忆区域（如新皮质和海马体）尤其重要。
During LTP, the firing of a neuron triggers physical changes to its structure.
在 LTP 期间，神经元的放电会引发其结构的物理变化。
For example, more receptors may be moved to the cell's surface, making the neuron more sensitive to
future signaling from its neighbors.
例如， 更多的受体可能被移动到细胞表面，使神经元对其邻居的未来信号更加敏感。
These physical changes increase the likelihood that a cell will fire again at that connection, strengthening
the wiring between neurons.
这些物理变化增加了细胞在该连接处再次放电的可能性，从而加强了神经元之间的连接。
And through this stronger connection, it's thought that a stable memory is formed.
通过这种更牢固的联系，人们认为形成了稳定的记忆。
Yet studies suggest that ethanol has a unique ability to disrupt LTP, blocking the physical changes needed
for memory formation.
然而， 研究表明， 乙醇具有破坏LTP的独特能力，阻断记忆形成所需的物理变化。
So, while moment-to-moment information is encoded and understood, the storage of that information is
blunted, resulting in a blackout.
因此， 虽然即时信息被编码和理解，但该信息的存储却被削弱，从而导致停电。
Of course, not all levels of drinking result in blackouts.
当然，并非所有程度的饮酒都会导致昏厥。
They happen when the concentration of alcohol in the blood, or BAC, exceeds a certain level,
approximately 0.16. But there's no magic number.
当血液中的酒精浓度（BAC）超过一定水平（大约 0.16）时，就会发生这种情况。但没有神奇的数字。
At slightly lower BACs, brownouts, or the spotty memory of events, can occur, as some neurons continue
to function properly while others fail.
当 BAC 稍低时， 可能会发生断电或事件记忆不稳定的情况，因为一些神经元继续正常运作， 而另一些神经元却出现故障。
And drinking too much can cause a person to pass out altogether.
喝太多酒会导致一个人完全昏倒。
Other factors like dehydration level, genetic differences, medications, and even how much you've eaten
can affect the likelihood of a blackout.
其他因素，如脱水程度、遗传差异、药物， 甚至吃多少， 都会影响停电的可能性。
And teenagers appear to be especially vulnerable due to the substantial changes in brain development
during those years.
由于这些年来大脑发育发生了巨大变化，青少年似乎特别容易受到伤害。
Alcohol's short-term effects usually don't last longer than the time it takes for their body to metabolize it,
or about a day.
酒精的短期影响通常不会持续超过身体代谢它所需的时间，即一天左右。
But repeatedly over-drinking can damage neurons and permanently impair memory.
但反复过量饮酒会损害神经元并永久损害记忆力。
It can also harm other organs like the liver, which works overtime breaking down alcohol.
它还会伤害其他器官，如肝脏，肝脏会加班分解酒精。
After all, experiencing a blackout or witnessing others in this compromised state can be a lot for your
mind and body to process.
毕竟，经历停电或目睹他人处于这种妥协状态可能会让您的身心需要处理很多事情。
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