Heavy drinking quickly leads to memory loss and learning problems, according to animal studies conducted by researchers at Saint Louis University.

Medical Study News reported June 15 that rats fed a diet that included 20% alcohol for eight weeks, then kept off of alcohol, showed signs of brain damage. The damage persisted even after the mice abstained from alcohol for 12 weeks. Researchers said that the study showed that even short periods of excessive drinking could cause lasting memory and learning problems.

The mice were given the ethanol equivalent of a person drinking six to eight beers a day or a bottle of wine daily for six years.