Abstracting capacity in cirrhotic alcoholics: negative findings.
OBJECTIVE
Alcoholic and nonalcoholic cirrhotics and normal controls were compared to determine the extent to which the cognitive deficits frequently observed in alcoholics are attributable to hepatic encephalopathy.


METHODS
A battery of neuropsychological tests was administered measuring verbal and nonverbal abstracting capacity.


RESULTS
No significant differences between the three groups were observed. Both the alcoholic (n = 43) and nonalcoholic (n = 63) subjects performed comparably to normal controls (n = 21) and the former two groups performed comparably to each other on seven indicators of abstracting capacity.


CONCLUSIONS
Deficits in reasoning ability are not invariably associated with chronic alcoholism. In addition, low grade hepatic encephalopathy concomitant to cirrhosis in both alcoholics and nonalcoholics does not impact adversely on abstracting capacity.
Tarter
R E
RE
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
Switala
J
J
Lu
S
S
Van Thiel
D
D
D000328:Adult; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000187:drug effects; D011594:Psychometrics
D000431:Ethanol