title: Self-awareness of cognitive dysfunction: Self-reported complaints and cognitive performance in patients with alcohol-induced mild or major neurocognitive disorder.
abstract: Patients with Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) typically have difficulties in recognizing the impact of their alcohol-related cognitive deficits on daily-life functioning. In this study, mean scores on self-reported complaints (measured with Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form; MMPI-2-RF) and cognitive performance (measured with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third edition; WAIS-III; and the California Verbal Learning Test; CVLT) are compared between two matched patient groups with severe (KS) and mild alcohol-related cognitive disorders or non KS (NKS). KS patients demonstrate significantly lower scores on the WAIS-III indices and on the CVLT than the matched NKS group, and significantly higher scores on MMPI-2-RF validity scales that indicate denial of psychological complaints. Both groups are in the normal range on MMPI-2-RF Cognitive Complaints (COG) and Neurological Complaints (NUC) scales compared with the normative sample. Finally, self-reported complaints and cognitive performance are not correlated significantly in both groups. Despite their alcohol-related cognitive impairments, both groups report no cognitive complaints at all indicating self-awareness impairment. In addition to KS patients, also NKS patients are at risk that their apparently "without cognitive complaints" appearance on self-report questionnaires can be easily overlooked. These findings may have important clinical implications for diagnostic and treatment purposes.
authors: Centre of Excellence for Korsakoff and Alcohol-Related Cognitive Disorders, Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry, Venray, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: swalvoort@vvgi.nl.
authors: Serge J W
authors: SJ
authors: Walvoort
authors: Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Reinier van Arkel Mental Health Institute, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.
authors: Paul T
authors: PT
authors: van der Heijden
authors: Centre of Excellence for Korsakoff and Alcohol-Related Cognitive Disorders, Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry, Venray, The Netherlands.
authors: Arie J
authors: AJ
authors: Wester
authors: Centre of Excellence for Korsakoff and Alcohol-Related Cognitive Disorders, Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry, Venray, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors: Roy P C
authors: RP
authors: Kessels
authors: Centre of Excellence for Korsakoff and Alcohol-Related Cognitive Disorders, Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry, Venray, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Centre of Excellence for Neuropsychiatry, Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry, Venray, The Netherlands.
authors: Jos I M
authors: JI
authors: Egger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000076042:Alcoholic Korsakoff Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D057566:Self Report; D014888:Wechsler Scales
keywords: Alcohol; Assessment; Cognitive dysfunction; Korsakoff; Self-awareness