酒精相關的認知功能損害

Alcohol-Related Cognitive Impairment

酒癮者常伴隨認知功能損害。研究顯示慢性酒精使用會廣泛性地影響認知功能，且對不同年齡層的腦部有不同影響，酒精使用量與認知功能的關係呈現「J型曲線」關係，特別在老年族群。酒精可能透過直接毒性作用或酒癮共病間接影響認知功能；另一方面，認如功能缺損亦可能是酒癮產生的內表型，因此酒癮與認知功能存在雙向互動關係。認知功能損害會阻礙酒癮的治療效果與預後，臨床工作者需要篩檢酒癮者是否合併認知功能損害，並據此設計酒癮與認知功能改善的治療策略。

Cognitive impairments are usually observed in patients with alcohol use disorder. Literatures showed chronic excessive alcohol consumption is related to diffuse cognitive deficits. The above harmful effects vary with age, and evidences suggested a J-shape relationship between alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment, especially among the elderly. Various mechanisms have been attributed to the effects of alcohol on brain, such as direct toxicity of alcohol, and indirect harmful effects from comorbidities of alcohol use disorder. On the other hand, cognitive impairment would be an endophenotype of alcohol use disorder; therefore, there is a bidirectional relationship between alcohol use disorder and cognition. Cognitive impairment may impede the treatment outcome and recovery for alcohol use disorder, so it is important that health care providers screen the alcoholism for cognitive impairment, and further design practical treatment strategies for complex combination of alcohol use disorder and cognitive impairment.