Effects of alcohol on cognition
What effects does alcohol have on cognition?
Alcoholism can be associated with acute nutritional syndromes producing encephalopathy, such as Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Marchiafava–Bignami.
The acute syndromes can lead to chronic amnestic syndromes, such as Korsakoff’s.
Alcoholism can cause slowly progressive, chronic cognitive impairment, which is referred to as alcoholic dementia .
It is characterized by executive dysfunction, such as attention deficits, frontal release signs, and problems with sequencing.
It is also associated with visuospatial dysfunction, such as poor clock drawing.
There may also be associated balance and gait dysfunction due to cerebellar involvement.
