Neuropsychological Deficits Associated with Alcoholism; A Review and Discussion

A review of the Uterature reveals little agreement as to what intellectual functions are impaired as a result of prolonged excessive drinking. The evidence seems to indicate an impairment of adaptive abilities as a function of organic brain damage but to some extent this is reversible; however, it is not clear which specific abilities are impaired permanently and which might be reversible, nor is the time sequence of such events. It is hypothesized that one effect of alcoholism is premature senescence of intellectual and psychological processes.