Incredibly popular drink adored by students could cause permanent brain damage

With the Summer holidays now just mere weeks away, many young people heading off to university for the first time will no doubt be eagerly awaiting their first foray into student life, which often begins with Freshers week. The annual welcome week, which serves as a one stop shop to make new friends, join societies and bag a few freebies along the way, is often regarded as one of the highlights of the new term - especially when it’s often accompanied by a cheeky bar discount.

But before you go knocking back the popular student staple of budget friendly Jägerbombs, you may want to consider what effects drinking the tasty tipple, which blends both spirits and energy drinks, is actually having on your body.

New research suggests that the popular beverage could have more of an impact on your brain than you think, with one study even suggesting that drinking it could lead to permanent brain damage! Part of the negative impact stems from the fact that both alcohol and energy drinks are direct opposites of each other and impact on the brain in two very different ways.

READ MORE: Expert warns 'even a little alcohol is hurting your health in ways you'd never think'

Alcohol is a depressant, which works by slowing down activity in parts of the brain, and in the process potentially impairs judgement and slows our reaction times. Meanwhile, energy drinks are a stimulant, often laden with caffeine, which heightens out alertness as well as causing spikes in blood pressure and heart rate.

So what exactly happens when these two opposing chemical processes take place at once?

According to previous studies by Purdue University, highly caffeinated alcoholic beverages could have the power to trigger changes in the teenage brain similar to those caused by cocaine, which in turn numbs our reward circuitry and potentially increases our risk of substance abuse, reports Newsweek.

Yet in a new study, from the Cittadella University in Monserrato, these negative effects have been found well into adulthood, suggesting that the caffeinated cocktails may actually be causing lasting behavioural impairments well into adulthood.

"Adolescence is a period of development characterised by cognitive, emotional, [and] neurobiological maturation," the researchers write. "Adolescence is also characterised by highly risky decision-making and increased vulnerability to alcohol abuse."

The study, which appeared in the journal of Neuropharmacology earlier this month, explored the impact of long-term binge drinking of alcohol, energy drinks (specifically Red Bull) and a combined cocktail of both, in adolescent rats. In order to fully investigate the impact of drinking, the rats underwent a series of behavioural and physiological tests and scans both before, during and after treatment,

As a result, researchers discovered that combining the two drinks together was associated with a much higher degree of impairment in learning and memory tasks that persisted into adulthood. There was also a notable deficiency in communication between brain cells following the caffeinated cocktails.

The research has yet to be carried out in humans to properly examine the lasting impact on the teenage brain, but so far studies suggest that knocking back Jägerbombs could leave some unexpected and lasting effects if the same correlation occurs in teen drinkers.