How does alcohol cause blackouts?

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Shannon Odell |

TED-Ed

• February 2024

Alcohol has been shown to have strange and selective effects on the brain. Many intoxicated people can perform complex tasks like holding a detailed conversation or navigating a walk home. Yet for those experiencing a blackout, the memory of these events is quickly forgotten. So, how does alcohol cause these memory lapses? Shannon Odell explores how ethanol interrupts the brain’s processes. [Directed by Anton Bogaty, narrated by Pen-Pen Chen, music by Jarrett Farkas].