Neuropsychological assessment of cognitive function in chronic alcohol-dependent patients and patients with Alzheimer's disease.
BACKGROUND
Heavy and chronic alcohol dependence and Alzheimer's disease may share some neuropsychological characteristics.


METHODS
The pattern of neuropsychological characteristics of 33 alcohol-dependent patients who reported memory disturbances were evaluated and compared to the neuropsychological performance of 38 patients with mild-stage Alzheimer's disease and 73 healthy subjects, serving as controls. Alcohol-dependent patients were examined with tools concerning the pattern of alcohol abuse and problems related to alcohol consumption. All groups completed a full battery of neuropsychological tests for the assessment of cognitive functions, such as different kinds of memory, attention, executive function etc.


RESULTS
Alcohol-dependent patients fared worse compared to the control subjects in every test used. The comparison of alcohol-dependent patients versus patients with Alzheimer's disease showed that the latter are much more burdened, as far as cognition is concerned, in all aspects of memory.


CONCLUSIONS
Alcohol-dependent patients, even if they are not demented, have mild cognitive impairment in all domains of cognition (memory and frontal functions) in comparison with controls which performed within the norms. Verbal fluency, working memory and frontal functions were impaired at the same degree in alcohol-dependent patients and in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Memory problems were more pronounced in Alzheimer's disease patients.
Liappas
Ioannis
I
Department of Psychiatry, Athens National University, School of Medicine, Eginition Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Theotoka
Ioulia
I
Kapaki
Elisabeth
E
Ilias
Ioannis
I
Paraskevas
George P
GP
Soldatos
Constantine R
CR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests