Alcohol-Related Dementia and Neurocognitive Impairment: A Review Study

Abstract

ContextAlcohol consumption has escalated rapidly in many countries over the past decade. Evidence suggests a correlation between alcohol use and cognitive decline. We have systematically reviewed the concept and controversies, epidemiology, nosology, neuropathology and neurobiology, neuropsychology and management updates of alcohol-related dementia (ARD) in this paper.Evidence AcquisitionWe retrieved papers for this review by searching the PubMed database for terms “alcohol and dementia”, “alcohol and cognitive impairment”, and “alcohol and wernicke-korsakoff” mentioned in the title of the published papers. A total of 131 studies showed up. Appropriate studies were shortlisted and included (n = 72). Cross-references if relevant were considered from the selected studies. Eligible articles were fully read by the authors and the results were compiled.ResultsThe prolonged and excessive use of alcohol may lead to structural and functional brain damage, leading to ARD. The cognitive deficits are most frequently observed in domains of visuospatial functions, memory and executive tasks, with a potential of partial recovery if abstinence is maintained. However, there are doubts regarding the etiopathogenesis, nosological status, prevalence and diagnostic criteria for ARD, due to difficulty in assessment and various confounding factors.ConclusionsWith growing cohort of young and middle-aged people, there is a probable risk of upsurge of ARD. Presently, there are dilemmas over the diagnosis of independent ARD. Thus, there is a need to develop evidence-based guidelines for diagnosis and management of ARD through further systematic studies.

Association between alcohol consumption and Alzheimer's disease: A Mendelian randomization study

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Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer in Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder

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Quercetin in Food: Possible Mechanisms of Its Effect on Memory

“…Parkinson's disease (Goldman, Weis, Stebbins, Bernard, & Goetz, 2012) and epilepsy (Felician, Tramoni, & Bartolomei, 2015) are neurological disorders that cause memory impairment. In addition, general medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus (Falvey et al, 2013), pregnancy (Wilson et al, 2011), cerebral hypoxia (Jablonski, Maciejewski, Januszewski, Ulamek, & Pluta, 2011), and the use of alcohol (Sachdeva, Chandra, Choudhary, Dayal, & Anand, 2016) or drugs (Chavant, Favrelière, Chebassier, Plazanet, & Pochat, 2011) can result in cognitive deficits (Arlt, 2013;Sorbi et al, 2012).…”