But, “not all of the injury in the brain happens right away”, Tien said. Instead, in the hours after the initial trauma, the brain undergoes a series of changes as it tries to fix the damage. In some cases, the flood of neurotransmitters it puts out can actually do more harm than good.
Alcohol, the researchers believe, may act to slow the release of some of those neurotransmitters. The researchers pointed to other studies that have reported that alcohol and caffeine may make strokes less severe. But of course, the popular myth that alcohol helps intoxicated drivers avoid injury by relaxing them is just that: a myth.
—ERIC NAGOURNEY / NYT
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