Alcohol and Cognitive Impairment – A Review

Background- Alcoholism results from an interplay between genetic and environmental factors, and is linked to brain defects and associated cognitive, emotional, and behavioral impairments. Objectives- To find the impact and factors related to alcohol induced cognitive dysfunction. Method- Internet search was carried out with alcohol, cognitive functions etc Results- It was found that the effects of alcohol depend on various factors like – age, gender, general health and family history. Various structural, functional neuroimaging and neuropsychological tests have shown that a latge proportion of alcoholics suffer from cognitive dysfunction. Conclusion- The underpinnings of alcohol-induced brain defects are multivariate; to date, the available literature does not support the assertion that any one variable can consistently and completely account for these impairments.