Brain Damage May Be Causing Drunk Drivers To Re-Offend

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 05 Dec 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Why are fines, the fear of arrest, prison and even treatment programs having little effect in stopping repeat offenders from continuing to get behind the wheel drunk?

The answer, according to Dr. Thomas Brown, a CIHR-supported researcher at McGill University, appears to be linked to neuro-cognitive problems related to memory, learning and planning, as well as a deficiency in reacting to risk and danger.

The brain damage may have been caused by early binge drinking or a head trauma injury. "That is not to say that all recidivists have brain damage, but many more of them do compared to what we might expect in the general population," Dr. Brown told a Parliamentary committee earlier this year.

Did you know? About one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of driving under the influence are repeat offenders.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

The CIHR is the Government of Canada's health research funding agency, and is involved in׃

-- Supporting the work of more than 11,000 researchers and trainees in universities, teaching hospitals, and research institutes across Canada

-- Developing high-quality people, excellent science and training the next generation of health researchers

-- Funding research that improves Canadians' health, health care system and quality of life

-- Fostering commercialization, moving research discoveries from academic setting to the marketplace

-- Allocating 94 cents of every dollar directly to fund Canadian health researchers

Source
David Coulombe
Media Relations
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
http://cihr-irsc.gc.ca

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