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Decreased Verbal Learning but not Recognition Performance in Alcohol-dependent Individuals During Early Abstinence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Isolde Daig ,
Richard Mahlberg ,
Julia Stethin ,
Franziska Schroeder ,
Jana Wrase ,
Nina Knoll ,
Tom Bschor ,
Guenter Esser ,
Andreas Heinz  and
Thorsten Kienast
Isolde Daig*
Affiliation:
Institute of Medical Psychology, Charité – University Medical Center, Berlin, Luisenstraße 57, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Richard Mahlberg
Affiliation:
Clinic of Psychiatry, Addiction, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Klinik am Europakanal, Erlangen, Am Europakanal 71, 91056 Erlangen, Germany
Julia Stethin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Karl Liebknecht Straße 24/25, 14476 Potsdam OT Golm, Germany
Franziska Schroeder
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Karl Liebknecht Straße 24/25, 14476 Potsdam OT Golm, Germany
Jana Wrase
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité – University Medical Center, Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Nina Knoll
Affiliation:
Institute of Medical Psychology, Charité – University Medical Center, Berlin, Luisenstraße 57, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Tom Bschor
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jewish Hospital Berlin, Heinz Galinski Straße 1, 13347 Berlin, Germany
Guenter Esser
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Karl Liebknecht Straße 24/25, 14476 Potsdam OT Golm, Germany
Andreas Heinz
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité – University Medical Center, Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Thorsten Kienast
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité – University Medical Center, Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
*
Correspondence: Isolde Daig, Institute of Medical Psychology, Charité – University Medical CenterBerlin, Luisenstraße 57, 10117 Berlin, Germany, Email: isolde.daig@charite.de
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Abstract

Objective: Alcoholism ultimately leads to impairment of memory and other cognitive functions. This can interfere with treatment, if cognitively impaired alcohol-dependent individuals have difficulties recalling and implementing skills acquired during therapy. We investigate if alcohol-dependent individuals without clinically apparent withdrawal symptoms may still be impaired in higher-order cognitive functions.

Methods: Thirty-four alcohol-dependent patients and 20 matched healthy controls were tested with the Verbal Learning and Memory Test which includes seven measurement points. The test comprises free recall, free recall after distraction and after 30 minute delay, and a word recognition task. Testing was performed between day seven and day 10 after the beginning of abstinence, when clinical withdrawal symptoms had ceased.

Results: Compared to healthy controls, alcohol-dependent patients performed worse in free recall after delay, but not in word recognition. Healthy controls showed a more linear progression of improvement in verbal memory performance. Overall, alcohol-dependent individuals showed reduced verbal learning efficiency. The extent of impaired recall after distraction was positively associated (one-tailed test) with history of delirium (r=0.34, p=0.04), seizures (r=0.46, p=0.01), and years since diagnosis for alcohol dependency (r=0.39, p=0.01).

Conclusions: Our results provide evidence that unmedicated alcohol-dependent patients without obvious withdrawal symptoms had impaired verbal recall, but normal recognition performance, at seven to 10 days after onset of abstinence. This deficit may deteriorate treatment outcomes due to poorer implementation of skills newly-learned during this time period.

Keywords

alcoholismwithdrawalverbal memorycognitive functionrecallrecognition.
Type
Original Paper
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , 2012 , pp. 96 - 101
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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