{"id":20863,"date":"2026-04-05T16:26:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T15:26:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=20863"},"modified":"2026-04-05T16:26:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T15:26:24","slug":"young-adult-substance-use-affects-memory-at-65","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2026\/04\/young-adult-substance-use-affects-memory-at-65\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Adult Substance Use Affects Memory at 65"},"content":{"rendered":"<header id=\"masthead\" class=\"site-header-block site-header clearfix site-header-55 header-width-2 header-skin-1 site-img-1 mm-ani-0 mm-skin-2 main-menu-skin-1 main-menu-width-2 main-menu-bar-color-1 logo-only-when-stuck\" data-pt-diff=\"0\" data-pb-diff=\"0\">\n<div class=\"bg-area\">\n<div class=\"logo-main-wrap tipi-row\">\n<div class=\"logo logo-main\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><span class=\"logo-img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2020\/07\/Neuroscience-News_AZ_RevNewest-scaled-e1596228355273.jpg\" alt=\"Neuroscience News Logo\" width=\"333\" height=\"65\" \/><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"site-content clearfix\">\n<div id=\"primary\" class=\"content-area\">\n<div class=\"post-wrap clearfix article-layout-skin-1 title-beneath-c hero-m sidebar-off-wide align-fs hero-fi-off post-115813 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-featured category-neuroscience tag-aging tag-binge-drinking tag-brain-aging tag-cud tag-memory tag-memory-loss tag-neurodevelopment tag-neuroscience tag-substance-abuse tag-university-of-michigan mv-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"meta-wrap hero-meta tipi-m-typo elements-design-1 clearfix tipi-row content-bg\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"meta meta-no-sub\">\n<div class=\"title-wrap\">\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">by \u00a0Megan Patrick, research professor at the Institute for Social Research and principal investigator of the Monitoring the Future Longitudinal Panel Study, and Yuk Pang, Yvonne Terry-McElrath and Joy Bohyun Jang of U-M\u2019s Institute for Social Research &#8211; March 29, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"byline byline-3 byline-cats-design-2\">\n<div class=\"byline-part cats\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Summary: <\/strong>The choices made between the ages of 18 and 30 may determine brain health 30 years later. A new longitudinal study tracked participants for decades to see how young adult substance use correlates with memory in midlife (ages 50\u201365).<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"single-content contents-wrap tipi-row content-bg clearfix article-layout-55\">\n<div class=\"tipi-cols clearfix\"><main class=\"site-main tipi-xs-12 main-block-wrap block-wrap tipi-col clearfix tipi-l-8\"><\/p>\n<article>\n<div class=\"entry-content-wrap clearfix\">\n<div class=\"entry-content body-color clearfix link-color-wrap\" data-content-ads-inserted=\"true\" data-slot-rendered-content=\"true\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Researchers found that heavy use of alcohol, cannabis, and cigarettes in your 20s predicts significantly poorer self-reported memory later in life. However, the study reveals that different substances damage the brain through different \u201croutes\u201d\u2014some by causing midlife addiction and others through direct, early-life damage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Key Facts<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The \u201cTriple Threat\u201d:<\/strong>\u00a0The study analyzed binge drinking, near-daily cannabis use, and daily cigarette smoking between ages 18 and 30.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Cigarettes = Direct Damage:<\/strong>\u00a0Daily smoking in young adulthood predicted poorer memory at age 50\u00a0<em>regardless<\/em>\u00a0of whether the person had quit by age 35. This suggests smoking has a direct, lasting impact on the developing brain.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Alcohol &amp; Cannabis = The Addiction Route:<\/strong>\u00a0Binge drinking and frequent cannabis use in your 20s didn\u2019t directly cause memory loss 30 years later. Instead, they increased the risk of\u00a0<strong>Substance Use Disorders (SUD)<\/strong>\u00a0in your 30s, which then led to poorer memory in midlife.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Early Dementia Sign:<\/strong>\u00a0Self-reported poor memory is a common early indicator of cognitive decline and dementia, making these early-life behaviors critical targets for prevention.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Young adults who heavily use substances may report significantly poorer memory decades later, a new University of Michigan study suggests.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-slot-rendered-content=\"true\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Researchers tracked how frequently participants reported binge drinking and daily\u2014or near-daily\u2014use of alcohol, cannabis and cigarettes between ages 18 and 30. They then compared those patterns with self-reported poor memory at ages 50 to 65<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The\u00a0study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, was recently published in the Journal of Aging and Health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cSubstance use has both acute and long-term effects on health and well-being,\u201d said\u00a0Megan Patrick, research professor at the Institute for Social Research and principal investigator of the Monitoring the Future Longitudinal Panel Study.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cPoor memory is a common sign of early dementia. We examined whether young adult substance use was associated with poor memory decades later in midlife.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-slot-rendered-content=\"true\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Identifying behaviors that shape brain health across the lifespan is critical. This is among the first longitudinal studies to link cumulative young adult substance use to self-rated cognition in late midlife, Patrick said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Young adulthood is a critical period for brain development. The study shows that substance use patterns established during this period may have lasting consequences on memory and cognitive health much later in life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cData like what we have from the MTF Longitudinal Panel study enable us to see these associations across multiple decades of development in the individuals who participate,\u201d Patrick said. \u201cIdentifying the risk factors that can lead to dementia is crucial for the prevention and treatment of cognitive decline.\u201d\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Triple threat and addiction<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The results suggest different substances may be associated with later memory through different routes\u2014some through substance use disorder symptoms and others more directly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">For example, binge drinking and frequent cannabis use in young adulthood were not directly linked with reporting poor memory in later life. Instead, they increased the risk of developing substance use disorders for people in their 30s, and those disorders were linked to poorer memory later in life. This suggests that treating substance use in midlife could help protect brain health.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Cigarette smoking showed a different pattern. Daily smoking in young adulthood predicted poorer memory in early midlife, regardless of smoking habits at age 35. These findings highlight the need to prevent smoking early in life, Patrick said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cIt\u2019s important for people to understand the long-term connections between their behaviors and later health and well-being,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cEven if someone thinks their current substance use may not be problematic because they don\u2019t see it as affecting their health right now, there are still potential longer-term consequences to consider. In this case, we are finding some evidence of potential negative impacts of heavy young adult substance use on their cognitive functioning more than 20 years later.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Prevention and intervention efforts targeting young adults could significantly benefit long-term brain health, Patrick said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cAs we saw, this study demonstrates potential long-term detrimental impacts of young adult heavy substance use on cognitive health later in life. It highlights the importance of early interventions,\u201d she said. \u201cUnderstanding these risk factors and their trajectory across the lifespan will inform strategies to support cognitive health.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The study\u2019s authors also included Yuk Pang, Yvonne Terry-McElrath and Joy Bohyun Jang of U-M\u2019s Institute for Social Research.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Key Questions Answered:<\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\" data-slot-rendered-content=\"true\">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1774818315098\" class=\"schema-faq-section\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q: I smoked in my 20s but quit at 30. Is my memory still at risk?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>A:<\/strong>\u00a0According to this study, yes. Daily smoking between 18 and 30 was a predictor of poorer memory in midlife, even for those who stopped smoking by age 35. This highlights young adulthood as a \u201ccritical window\u201d where the brain is particularly vulnerable to the toxins in cigarettes.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1774818317064\" class=\"schema-faq-section\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q: Is cannabis safer for the brain than cigarettes?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>A:<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s complicated. While cannabis didn\u2019t show the same \u201cdirect\u201d long-term memory damage as cigarettes, it acted as a gateway to\u00a0<strong>Substance Use Disorders<\/strong>\u00a0in midlife. If heavy use in your 20s leads to a dependency in your 30s or 40s, that dependency is what eventually degrades your memory.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1774818316870\" class=\"schema-faq-section\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q: Can I \u201creverse\u201d the damage if I stop drinking or using drugs in my 30s?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>A:<\/strong>\u00a0The study suggests that for alcohol and cannabis, treating the\u00a0<em>disorder<\/em>\u00a0in midlife is key to protecting your brain. Because the memory loss was linked to the persistence of the addiction into your 30s, getting help early in midlife could potentially halt the cognitive slide.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Source: https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/young-adult-substance-use-memory-30412\/<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by \u00a0Megan Patrick, research professor at the Institute for Social Research and principal investigator of the Monitoring the Future Longitudinal Panel Study, and Yuk Pang, Yvonne Terry-McElrath and Joy Bohyun Jang of U-M\u2019s Institute for Social Research &#8211; March 29, 2026 Summary: The choices made between the ages of 18 and 30 may determine brain [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[144,63,68,64,142,19,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-age-related","category-brain-and-behaviour","category-drug-use-various-effects","category-health","category-latest-news","category-usa","category-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20863"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20864,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20863\/revisions\/20864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}