Effects of alcohol and cigarette use on cognition in middle-aged adults

Abstract

In this retrospective cohort study we examined the independent and interactive effects of drinking and smoking on cognition in a sample of 3361 males, ages 31 to 49, with varying lifetime histories of alcohol and cigarette use. Dependent variables were neuropsychological measures of global and specific cognitive abilities. Comparison of the ability scores of seven groups, defined by their drinking and smoking histories, explained only 5.4% of the multivariate variance in cognitive ability and less than 2% in any individual cognitive measure. Regression analyses for current drinkers and smokers showed only a single significant, but negligible, effect of pack-years of smoking on a measure of global cognitive ability. Differences in cognitive function in groups defined by intensity of alcohol and cigarette use revealed no significant effect for drinking and a significant, but very small, effect for smoking. (JINS, 2002, 8, 683-690.)

Effects of Alcohol- and Cigarette-Use Disorders on Global and Specific Measures of Cognition in Middle-Age Adults

“…The majority of women reported light drinking regardless of diagnosis (66% without and 62% with alcohol abuse or dependence). Therefore, our fi ndings are consistent with other studies demonstrating few negative (and in some cases positive) effects of light alcohol consumption on cognition in midlife (Dufouil et al, 1997;Espeland et al, 2006;Leroi et al, 2002;Schinka et al, 2002).…”

“…Findings of alcohol-related cognitive defi cits may be more pronounced among individuals endorsing alcohol dependence rather than abuse. Finally, we used a conservative p value (<.01) to determine signifi cant fi ndings in our study that may have infl ated the observed differences between men and women in these data relative to other studies that have used a more liberal cutoff (Kalmijn et al, 2002;Richards et al, 2003;Schinka et al, 2002). Despite these limitations, this study suggests middle-age women may be more vulnerable to the effects of tobacco dependence on cognition.…”

“…The most notable limitations of current research are the use of partial neuropsychological examinations to assess cognition (Krahn et al, 2003;Leroi et al, 2002;Ott et al, 2004;Richards et al, 2003), inadequate estimates of baseline functioning (Britton et al, 2004;Kalmijn et al, 2002;Ott et al, 2004;Schinka et al, 2002), and a tendency to exclude either men or women (Schinka et al, 2002;Stampfer et al, 2005). The administration of a complete neurocognitive assessment is important in the evaluation of the effects of alcohol on cognition because subtle differences may go undetected as a result of the use of a partial assessment (Davies et al, 2005;Espeland et al, 2006).…”

“…For example, baseline differences may exist in individuals who later engage in heavy drinking. Thus, any group differences in future cognition may be erroneously attributed to current use (Krahn et al, 2003;Schinka et al, 2002). Baseline cognition may also modify associations between future outcomes and alcohol use.…”

“…In addition, recent studies suggest alcohol and tobacco may have opposing cognitive effects (Ceballos, 2006;Kalmijn et al, 2002) or may influence different cognitive domains (Glass et al, 2009;Schinka et al, 2002). Given that tobacco use is high among individuals reporting alcohol-use disorders, this study also included lifetime tobacco dependence as a predictor of cognitive functioning.…”