Recovery of short-term memory and psychomotor speed but not postural stability with long-term sobriety in alcoholic women.
The authors assessed effects of extended abstinence on cognitive and motor function deficits previously observed in a group of alcoholic women (n = 43) initially tested after 15 weeks of sobriety. Alcoholic women were retested 1 and 4 years later, and control women were retested 3 years later. At Year 1, 14 of 23 returners had maintained sobriety, but they did not perform significantly better than relapsers; the group as a whole continued to show deficits relative to age norms. By Year 4, 13 of 14 returners had maintained sobriety for more than 30 months; as a group, these women had returned to normal levels on tests of memory and psychomotor speed but remained impaired in standing balance.
Roseribloom
Margaret J
MJ
Stanford University School of Medicine.
Pfefferbaum
Adolf
A
Stanford University School of Medicine.
Sullivan
Edith V
EV
Stanford University School of Medicine.
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004856:Postural Balance; D011594:Psychometrics; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D012016:Reference Values; D013695:Temperance / Q000523:psychology*