Long-Term Abstinence May Resolve Many of The Neurocognitive Deficits Associated with Alcoholism | HealtyWorld
Long-Term Abstinence May Resolve Many of The Neurocognitive Deficits Associated with Alcoholism | HealtyWorld
In this case, researchers performed a number of neuropsychological assessments on 96 participants, divided into two groups: 48 (25 males, 23 females) long-term abstinent alcoholics, and 48 (25 males, 23 females) age-matched “controls” who either drank lightly or not at all. The alcoholics were abstinent from six months to 13 years, for an average of 6.7 years. Performance was measured in nine domains: abstraction/cognitive flexibility, attention, auditory working memory, immediate memory, delayed memory, psychomotor function, reaction time, spatial processing, and verbal skills. Fein said that the only domain they did not examine was gait and balance, regarding it as separate.
“We found that the cognitive and mental abilities of middle-aged alcoholics who had been abstinent for six months to 13 years are indistinguishable from those of age and gender comparable non-alcoholics,” said Fein, “with the possible exception of spatial processing abilities. Recovered functions would include short- and long-term memory, planning, learning, comprehension, etc. In other words, they would be able to support a normal home, work and social life; these people should be able to function cognitively normally.”
“These findings further indicate the selectivity of alcoholism’s untoward effect on visuospatial processes,” added Sullivan, “which are important for many daily activities, including driving. We might also predict that these recovering alcoholics would have difficulties in reading a map, assembling things, and performing tasks that require spatial orientation.”
Both Fein and Sullivan noted that these findings provide hope for recovering alcoholics, and can be used to encourage abstinence from alcohol.
However, cautioned Sullivan, “it is important to conduct careful investigation of cognitive and motor functions because they are multifaceted and complex, and component processes and functions can be impaired or recover piece by piece,” she said.
In this case, researchers performed a number of neuropsychological assessments on 96 participants, divided into two groups: 48 (25 males, 23 females) long-term abstinent alcoholics, and 48 (25 males, 23 females) age-matched “controls” who either drank lightly or not at all. The alcoholics were abstinent from six months to 13 years, for an average of 6.7 years. Performance was measured in nine domains: abstraction/cognitive flexibility, attention, auditory working memory, immediate memory, delayed memory, psychomotor function, reaction time, spatial processing, and verbal skills. Fein said that the only domain they did not examine was gait and balance, regarding it as separate.
“We found that the cognitive and mental abilities of middle-aged alcoholics who had been abstinent for six months to 13 years are indistinguishable from those of age and gender comparable non-alcoholics,” said Fein, “with the possible exception of spatial processing abilities. Recovered functions would include short- and long-term memory, planning, learning, comprehension, etc. In other words, they would be able to support a normal home, work and social life; these people should be able to function cognitively normally.”
“These findings further indicate the selectivity of alcoholism’s untoward effect on visuospatial processes,” added Sullivan, “which are important for many daily activities, including driving. We might also predict that these recovering alcoholics would have difficulties in reading a map, assembling things, and performing tasks that require spatial orientation.”
Both Fein and Sullivan noted that these findings provide hope for recovering alcoholics, and can be used to encourage abstinence from alcohol.
However, cautioned Sullivan, “it is important to conduct careful investigation of cognitive and motor functions because they are multifaceted and complex, and component processes and functions can be impaired or recover piece by piece,” she said.
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