Final Report Summary - HANGOVER (KEELE) (Health consequences of the alcohol hangover)
Objectives:
1. To apply an innovative multidisciplinary methodology to study neurocognitive effects of hangover specifically attention, memory and executive function, as well as hangover symptoms. Examining the effects of hangover on cognitive function will enable researchers better to understand the deleterious effects of hangover as well as to inform the general public of the risks and dangers of hangover;
2. To assess whether hangover predicts proneness to alcohol dependence. This will not only be of great value in developing the understanding of alcohol researchers, but citizens also will benefit from the development of public awareness strategies to reduce alcohol abuse and dependence.
3. To implement outreach activities designed to maximise impact so that the findings are widely disseminated, and to spread word about science and science careers to young people and other citizens who might be inspired to take up a scientific career.
Overview of results:
With respect to objectives 1 and 2, 200 participants were interviewed on two occasions. They were given an appointment to attend the lab for assessment following a usual drinking day, although this could be cancelled where participants’ plans altered and they decided not to drink after all. The control condition was after an evening of abstinence. Time of testing was between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. when hangover effects would be most prominent, and test sessions lasted for around 1.5 hours. Blood alcohol level was verified as zero for all participants using a Lion Laboratories Alcometer 500 electronic breath analyser. Some participants received course credit plus £10, while those ineligible to receive course-credit received £20 cash.
With respect to Objective 1, we found that participants felt significantly less alert and content during hangover (p < 0.001). On tasks of working memory including the Corsi Block tapping task and numeric working memory alcohol hangover significantly impeded performance (p = 0.05 and p = 0.017 respectively). Furthermore under alcohol hangover conditions, participants made more errors on the Stroop task measuring response inhibition (p = 0.044) and were significantly slower at rapid visual information processing RVIP (p = 0.003). In addition we applied a diffusion model examining the effects of acute-alcohol administration, and found hangover decreased the drift rate parameter, but had no effect on non-decision time and also no effect on the boundary separation. This suggests hangover slowed information processing speed but had no effect on either motor-responding time or on response caution.
With respect to Objective 2, we found no evidence of a link between hangover and family history of alcohol problems. This was counter to our hypothesis based on the existing literature, which claimed to support a link between hangover proneness and alcohol use disorder. However, a critical analysis of previous research indicated flaws in the previous studies.
With respect to Objective 3, our efforts to disseminate the research beyond the usual scientific channels were rewarded with significant media coverage of the project. Highlights of this coverage include:
- Radio interview with Dr. Stephens on UK national radio station BBC Radio 5 Live, 1st August 2013;
- Feature on hangover research including interview with Dr. Stephens in The Atlantic magazine, 20th June 2014; http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/06/the-painful-science-of-hangovers/373138/
- Article in The Huffington Post including interview with Dr. Stephens, 13th September 2013; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/13/hangovers-and-age_n_3920531.html
- Article on Buzzfeed including interview with Dr. Stephens, 6th September 2014; http://www.buzzfeed.com/kellyoakes/scientific-hangover-cures#3magfhb
- Article in The Daily Telegraph including interview with Dr. Owen, 31st July 2013; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/10213764/Hangovers-can-make-you-stupid.html
- Article in The Daily Mail including interview with Dr. Owen, 31st July 2013; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2382030/Hangovers-dont-just-cause-nausea-headaches--make-STUPID-too.html
- Article in The Metro including interview with Dr. Owen, 24th August 2014; http://metro.co.uk/2014/08/24/hungover-the-latest-cure-from-scientists-will-be-a-pleasant-surprise-4843872/
- Article in The New Zealand Herald including interview with Dr. Owen, 1st August 2013; http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10906576
Conclusions
The research on cognitive effects of hangover has shown that tasks which rely heavily on medial temporal and frontal processing appear to be most greatly affected by alcohol hangover. Furthermore overall speed of information processing appears to be impeded. This has implications for safe operation of machinery, driving and workplace and college performance with hangover.
Our research assessing the link between hangover and alcohol use disorder found no meaningful relationship between hangover and familial risk for alcohol use disorder and, therefore, the findings do not support the idea that hangover predicts, one way or the other, future drinking practices. We argue that studies claiming to show increased hangover in individuals with familial risk for alcohol use disorder are probably showing nothing more than increased hangover in individuals that drink more alcohol. As there is no evidence that hangover may be a risk factor for further heavy alcohol consumption, we call on scientists not to pursue hangover cures.
Socioeconomic impacts
The project has succeeded in bringing an established postdoctoral researcher – Dr. Lauren Owen – back to the EU. Other socio-economic impacts include knowledge transfer to Dr Stephens, to Keele University staff and students and to other alcohol hangover research laboratories across Europe.
1. To apply an innovative multidisciplinary methodology to study neurocognitive effects of hangover specifically attention, memory and executive function, as well as hangover symptoms. Examining the effects of hangover on cognitive function will enable researchers better to understand the deleterious effects of hangover as well as to inform the general public of the risks and dangers of hangover;
2. To assess whether hangover predicts proneness to alcohol dependence. This will not only be of great value in developing the understanding of alcohol researchers, but citizens also will benefit from the development of public awareness strategies to reduce alcohol abuse and dependence.
3. To implement outreach activities designed to maximise impact so that the findings are widely disseminated, and to spread word about science and science careers to young people and other citizens who might be inspired to take up a scientific career.
Overview of results:
With respect to objectives 1 and 2, 200 participants were interviewed on two occasions. They were given an appointment to attend the lab for assessment following a usual drinking day, although this could be cancelled where participants’ plans altered and they decided not to drink after all. The control condition was after an evening of abstinence. Time of testing was between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. when hangover effects would be most prominent, and test sessions lasted for around 1.5 hours. Blood alcohol level was verified as zero for all participants using a Lion Laboratories Alcometer 500 electronic breath analyser. Some participants received course credit plus £10, while those ineligible to receive course-credit received £20 cash.
With respect to Objective 1, we found that participants felt significantly less alert and content during hangover (p < 0.001). On tasks of working memory including the Corsi Block tapping task and numeric working memory alcohol hangover significantly impeded performance (p = 0.05 and p = 0.017 respectively). Furthermore under alcohol hangover conditions, participants made more errors on the Stroop task measuring response inhibition (p = 0.044) and were significantly slower at rapid visual information processing RVIP (p = 0.003). In addition we applied a diffusion model examining the effects of acute-alcohol administration, and found hangover decreased the drift rate parameter, but had no effect on non-decision time and also no effect on the boundary separation. This suggests hangover slowed information processing speed but had no effect on either motor-responding time or on response caution.
With respect to Objective 2, we found no evidence of a link between hangover and family history of alcohol problems. This was counter to our hypothesis based on the existing literature, which claimed to support a link between hangover proneness and alcohol use disorder. However, a critical analysis of previous research indicated flaws in the previous studies.
With respect to Objective 3, our efforts to disseminate the research beyond the usual scientific channels were rewarded with significant media coverage of the project. Highlights of this coverage include:
- Radio interview with Dr. Stephens on UK national radio station BBC Radio 5 Live, 1st August 2013;
- Feature on hangover research including interview with Dr. Stephens in The Atlantic magazine, 20th June 2014; http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/06/the-painful-science-of-hangovers/373138/
- Article in The Huffington Post including interview with Dr. Stephens, 13th September 2013; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/13/hangovers-and-age_n_3920531.html
- Article on Buzzfeed including interview with Dr. Stephens, 6th September 2014; http://www.buzzfeed.com/kellyoakes/scientific-hangover-cures#3magfhb
- Article in The Daily Telegraph including interview with Dr. Owen, 31st July 2013; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/10213764/Hangovers-can-make-you-stupid.html
- Article in The Daily Mail including interview with Dr. Owen, 31st July 2013; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2382030/Hangovers-dont-just-cause-nausea-headaches--make-STUPID-too.html
- Article in The Metro including interview with Dr. Owen, 24th August 2014; http://metro.co.uk/2014/08/24/hungover-the-latest-cure-from-scientists-will-be-a-pleasant-surprise-4843872/
- Article in The New Zealand Herald including interview with Dr. Owen, 1st August 2013; http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10906576
Conclusions
The research on cognitive effects of hangover has shown that tasks which rely heavily on medial temporal and frontal processing appear to be most greatly affected by alcohol hangover. Furthermore overall speed of information processing appears to be impeded. This has implications for safe operation of machinery, driving and workplace and college performance with hangover.
Our research assessing the link between hangover and alcohol use disorder found no meaningful relationship between hangover and familial risk for alcohol use disorder and, therefore, the findings do not support the idea that hangover predicts, one way or the other, future drinking practices. We argue that studies claiming to show increased hangover in individuals with familial risk for alcohol use disorder are probably showing nothing more than increased hangover in individuals that drink more alcohol. As there is no evidence that hangover may be a risk factor for further heavy alcohol consumption, we call on scientists not to pursue hangover cures.
Socioeconomic impacts
The project has succeeded in bringing an established postdoctoral researcher – Dr. Lauren Owen – back to the EU. Other socio-economic impacts include knowledge transfer to Dr Stephens, to Keele University staff and students and to other alcohol hangover research laboratories across Europe.