Effect of alcohol-dependence on cognitive performance in middle-aged men: Preliminary results

The understanding of the relationship between alcohol-related neuropathology, cognitive impairment, and various factors such as alcohol consumption, thiamine levels, and age vulnerability is still poorly understood. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effect of alcohol dependence on cognitive performance in middle-aged men with psycho-biochemical evidence. A cross-sectional pilot study with a comparison group including 82 right-handed participants with and without alcohol dependence (n = 41 each). Alcohol dependence was diagnosed clinically by the International Classification of Disease Tenth Edition along with the use of alcohol use disorder identification test (AUDIT) and cognitive screening tests, that is, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The serum levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1) were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The MoCA scores, MMSE scores, and serum thiamine levels were significantly low for alcohol-dependent men (1509.43 ± 898.63 pmol/L) versus non-alcohol-dependent men (1862.81 ± 741.30 pmol/L; P = 0.021). The cognitive sub-domains including orientation, execution, calculation, visuoconstructional skills, and recall functions were also significantly (P < 0.05) affected for the alcohol-dependent patients when compared to non-alcohol-dependent men. Serum thiamine levels showed a positive (P < 0.05) correlation with MoCA scores whereas serum thiamine levels showed a significant (P < 0.05) negative correlation with AUDIT scores. Based on the significant positive association between serum thiamine levels with MoCA scores; therefore, both may be used as a screening tool for the early detection of cognitive impairment in patients with alcohol dependence.