Alcoholism can cause loss of memory and executive function, even though alcoholics may think their brain functions are normal, according to a new study from France.
- Dr. Anne-Pascale LeBerre, of the University of Caen/Basse-Normandie asked 28 patients in alcohol rehabilitation to estimate how well they would do on tests of remembering episodes and tests of executive brain function.
- The patients had not had a drink in two weeks and were not on any medications.
- All of them predicted they would do well on the tests, yet all of them performed below average.
"If patients are unaware of memory deficits, and especially if they overestimate their memory ability, they will benefit only partially from clinical treatment, and they will labor under the illusion that they have sufficiently consolidated this important clinical information for everyday life, where as the reality is actually very different," said Dr. LeBerre.
This study appears in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Labels: alcoholism, brain damage
Posted By: Jane St. Clair