title: Association between insulin-like growth factor-1 and cognitive functions in alcohol-dependent patients.
abstract: Studies in alcohol-dependent patients show that cognitive function can be influenced by chronic use of alcohol. Alcohol is a known neurotoxin that induces neurodegeneration in the brain. Although there are various causes of cognitive deficiency in alcohol-dependent patients, in this study we focus on the role of corticosteroids. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system (i.e., the HPA axis) plays a part in the control of corticosteroids. Recent studies show that insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) reflects the status of growth hormones under the action of the HPA axis. Therefore, IGF-1 is a potential indicator that reflects activity of the HPA axis, and a biomarker that may reflect the decline of cognitive function associated with alcohol-induced hypercortisolism. The purposes of this study are to identify an association between cognitive function and IGF-1, and to investigate IGF as the biological marker of cognitive decline in alcohol-dependent patients. Forty alcohol-dependent patients were selected as the subjects of this study. IGF-1 was measured through an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clinical features were examined using the Korean version of the alcohol dependence scale (ADS-K). Cognitive functions were measured using the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD). Comparative analysis was utilized to identify an association between CERAD measurement items and IGF-1. Alcohol-dependent patients demonstrated stable performance of most of the CERAD measures. Among the measures of the CERAD, only trail making test A showed a correlation to IGF-1. Compared to trail making test B, trail making test A is assumed to reflect basic cognitive functions including psychomotor speed, visual search and sequencing in alcohol-dependent patients, regardless of demographic characteristics such as the level of education of patients. Therefore, IGF-1 seems to play an important role in detecting the decline of basic cognitive functions in alcohol-dependent patients.
authors.affiliation: Keyo Medical Foundation, Keyo Hospital, Uiwang, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Changwoo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dai Jin
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Myongji Hospital, Goyang, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hwallip
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.affiliation: Keyo Medical Foundation, Keyo Hospital, Uiwang, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Doo
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Won
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: nplhk@catholic.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hae Kook
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
keywords: Alcohol dependence; Cognitive functions; Insulin-like growth factor-1