title: [Cognitive impairment in alcohol addiction].
abstract: Alcohol addiction is associated with cognitive impairment of clinically varying intensity and duration, which starts progressively while remaining often underestimated. Progressive brain damage can lead over time to a dementia syndrome. The diagnosis of cognitive deficits is of prime importance since it helps to optimize patient care and to decrease failure in re-insertion programs. Here we propose several screening tests which should give the practitioner the opportunity to make a basic cognitive assessment and to decide whether a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation is indicated. In alcohol addiction cognitive impairment is dominated by executive dysfunction of varying severity, which is also characteristic of alcohol dementia.
authors.affiliation: Service de neuropsychologie et neuroréhabilitation, Département des neurosciences cliniques (DNC), CHUV, 1011 Lausanne. Astrigh.Lindemann@chuv.ch
authors.forename: Astrigh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lindemann
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Antille
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Clarke
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests