Moderate alcohol use can wreak havoc with memory in teens and young adults, according to a new study published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

The study, led by Dr. Scott Swartzwelder of Duke University in Durham, NC, tried to duplicate adolescent drinking patterns in rats, giving them moderate amounts of alcohol for two days and then letting them recover for two days. They discovered the rats’ ability to remember gradually degraded, even when the rats were completely sober.

Swartzwelder also was careful to use the word adolescent rather than teen in his study. The human brain, he notes, is still growing until about age 25, which means that even adults who drink legally could be hurting their brains. (Fox News)