Research of thinking and memory at persons with the alcoholic dependence complicated by abuse of preparations of sedative and somnolent group

Abstract

In recent years, abuse of sleeping medicines with the subsequent formation of an inclination and increase of tolerance to preparations of this group has gained distribution in the Republic of Uzbekistan among the persons suffering from alcoholic dependence.

The assessment of thinking and memory functions was carried on by using a pictogram technique at 40 patients with the alcoholic dependence complicated by abuse of a somnolent preparation. Two groups of patients had similar duration of alcohol abuse, but differing in the length of abuse of hypnotic drugs: 20 patients used it not more than 1 year, 20 patients more than 5 years.

Research has shown that with the duration of abuse of somnolent preparation within 1 year patients with alcoholic dependence had no expressed memory violations: by means of pictogram drawings patients could remember all set of words. Twenty-five percent of patients’ drawings had the ordered appearance, steady graphic characteristics; the chosen images were followed by exact, laconic comments. The tendency to prevalence of the concrete images associated with alcoholic situations was found in 75% of patients of this group at a graphic representation of abstract concepts.

Abuse of somnolent preparations more than 5 years at 35% of patients has come to light misunderstanding of sense of the task, 40% of patients – insufficient image differentiation with inability of selection of visions to abstract concepts, 10% of patients – had tendency to the stereotypy and a perseveration. All the patients had a decrease in efficiency of the mediated storing.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.