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| - An image allegedly showing the effects of alcohol on the brain is circulating on social media. The image features two brains — one labeled "drinkers brain" and the other a "non-drinkers brain."
(X user @TheBetterPath_)
As of this writing, that post has had over 4.2 million views. Google reverse image search results show that the photo has not only circulated on that platform but also Instagram and Threads.
According to those results, the image first surfaced in 2022 as a thumbnail for a YouTube video titled "How Alcohol Affects The Human Brain (SCIENCE EXPLAINED)." We reached out to the user who posted the clip to ask if they created the image, or for any details on its origin. We will update this article if we receive a response.
However, the image does not actually depict one brain from someone who consumed a lot of alcohol and another brain from someone who didn't. Instead, the purported drinker's brain is actually a photograph of a 2,600-year-old preserved brain that was discovered by UK archaeologists in 2008. Meanwhile, the alleged non-drinker's brain is a stock image that is available on stock photo websites — it does not show an actual brain but instead a model or digital creation of one.
One Pic Shows a 2,600-Year-Old Brain
The photograph purportedly showing the effects of alcohol — that is, the "drinkers brain" — originated from a 2020 research paper published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
with the UK's York Archaeological Trust
The paper, titled "Protein aggregate formation permits millennium-old brain preservation," focused on the preservation of the brain discovered by archaeologists with the UK's York Archaeological Trust. The research examined why the brain's structure remained in tact for millennia.
Below is a screenshot from the research paper. The in-question photograph can be seen in the bottom right corner.
(Royal Society Publishing)
The caption of the photograph in question, labeled (e), reads: "careful removal of the sediment uncovers a surface resembling the gyri of a human brain." Axel Petzold, the study's lead author, said via email that he captured the photograph.
The research makes no mention of the impact of alcohol on the brain.
The alleged non-drinker's brain is a generic stock photo that exists on various stock photo websites, such as Adobe Stock and Alamy.com. It's unknown whether the photo depicts a physical model of a brain or a digital creation. The origin of the photo is unknown.
The brain-comparison image was not the first rumor about the organ that Snopes has fact-checked. We have investigated whether an image accurately depicts a 1 cubic millimeter sample of the human brain, and we have debunked false claims that radiation from Bluetooth earbuds, such as AirPods, causes brain cancer.
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