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Effects of acute alcohol withdrawal on memory performance in alcohol‐dependent patients: a pilot study
Author(s) -
SEIFERT JÜRGEN,
SEELAND IRINA,
BORSUTZKY MATHIAS,
PASSIE TORSTEN,
ROLLNIK JENS,
WIESE BIRGITT,
EMRICH HINDERK,
SCHNEIDER UDO
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
addiction biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.445
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1369-1600
pISSN - 1355-6215
DOI - 10.1080/1355621031000069918
Subject(s) - alcohol , psychology , neuropsychology , cognition , memory disorder , memory impairment , recall , medicine , cognitive impairment , psychiatry , cognitive disorder , anesthesia , biochemistry , chemistry , cognitive psychology
Studies on the neuropsychological performance in detoxified alcoholic patients often begin by acknowledging that there is a cognitive impairment to be found. Only little attention has been paid to date to the question as to how acute alcohol withdrawal might affect cognitive functions. Twenty‐nine alcohol‐dependent inpatients, nine in moderate alcohol withdrawal, treated with carbamazepine (group 1), 10 in mild alcohol withdrawal without pharmacological treatment (group 2), 10 in mild alcohol withdrawal with carbamazepine treatment (group 3) and 31 healthy subjects as controls (group 4) underwent repeated investigations using memory tests. The tests were performed on the first, third, seventh and fourteenth days of withdrawal. Immediate free recall of a word‐list was impaired in the three patient groups in comparison with the control group on the 1st day. Thereafter no significant differences could be revealed between patients and controls. In a word‐list recognition test the memory functions were not impaired in group 1 and group 2 in comparison with the control subjects. However, patients in group 3 showed impairment in this recognition test in comparison with the healthy subjects on the first and third days. The present study suggests that acute alcohol withdrawal impairs memory functions, especially free recall. This should be considered in treatment interventions in the early days of withdrawal.