Alcoholic Dementia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

There are cases when people may not have to cut out alcohol completely. For those for whom it’s still appropriate to occasionally relax with a drink, a low-risk level is defined as one-half to one drink per day for women and one to one and a half drinks per day for men. Dr. Wint adds that these recommendations should be lower for individuals over age 65. One of the significant impacts of alcohol is on mental health, specifically through its disruption of neurotransmitters—the chemicals essential for communication between brain cells. This disruption can cause mood swings, depression and anxiety, notes Dr. Wint. The Grove Editorial Team is a dynamic group of professionals at The Grove, a leading addiction treatment center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

What Are the Causes of Alcoholic Dementia?

Table 1 presents details regarding the literature searches conducted in preparation for this review. Similarly, whereas the terms “Alzheimer’s” and “alcoholism” yielded 318 results, “Alzheimer’s” and “alcohol use disorder (AUD)” returned only 40 citations. The searches also considered subtypes of dementia in addition to Alzheimer’s disease, such as alcohol-related WKS and vascular, frontotemporal, and Lewy body dementias. Searches regarding animal models (i.e., rat, mouse) were narrowed by pathological terms or relevant mechanisms (e.g., amyloid, neurofibrillary tangles, presenilin). The causes of alcoholic dementia include Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, neurotoxicity, nutritional deficiencies, liver disease, and brain atrophy. Chronic alcohol consumption damages brain cells disrupts nutrient absorption, and impedes organ function, producing progressive cognitive decline.

What Are the Effects of Alcoholic Dementia on the Brain?

Alcohol can also cause neuropathy, characterized by numbness, tingling, and functional impairments, primarily in the toes and feet. This occurs because alcohol damages peripheral nerves, harming their ability to transmit signals. Another piece of research intimates that the encouraging aspect of Alcohol-Related Brain Damage (ARBD) is that, unlike other forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease, it does not inevitably worsen over time. The progression of ARBD is halted, and in some cases, even reversed with appropriate treatment. Indeed, no treatment guarantees 100% effectiveness, research suggests that an estimated 75% of individuals with ARBD who receive treatment show some degree of recovery. Specifically, 25% achieve a complete picking up, another 25% experience considerable convalescence, 25% see only a slight upgrade, and 25% show no recuperation at heroin addiction all, according to the charity Alcohol Change UK.

Alcoholic Dementia −Symptoms, Causes and Potential Treatment

Because they can engage in conversation, a person with WKS may appear normal at first glance. Alcohol is a toxin that affects the brain in numerous ways, especially in chronic drinkers. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025, drinking in moderation consists of no more than one or two https://ecosoberhouse.com/ drinks daily for females and males, respectively.

Abstinence of up to one year is linked with improved attention, working memory, and problem-solving abilities. However, learning and short-term memory impairments may be more difficult to reverse even with abstinence. The effects of alcohol-related dementia may be reversible, depending on your circumstances. Early treatment is the key to successfully treating alcohol-related dementia. If caught early enough, patients with the more general type of ARD can significantly improve their condition by quitting alcohol and eating a balanced diet.

• As pertinent postmortem pathology papers were published in the 1950s and recent animal models of Alzheimer’s disease were created in the early 2000s, articles referenced span the years 1957 to 2024.
• Lewy body dementia is another progressive type of dementia that causes an accumulation of proteins called Lewy bodies in various brain areas.
• Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are among the most predominant mental disorders, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality, particularly in younger people and women.
• The life expectancy of individuals with alcoholic dementia is between 5-10 years, specifically, those with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS).

However, Doctors use a thorough social history, the findings from the physical and neurologic exams, and the presentation of symptoms to diagnose the condition. Wernicke encephalopathy causes an acute confusional state in the person. Continued consumption of alcohol can cause symptoms to progress and get worse. Alcohol-related dementia is similar in some ways to Alzheimer’s disease in that it affects memory and cognitive ability. Depending on your symptoms, you might also undergo a brain scan to rule out other concerns, does alcohol cause dementia like a stroke or tumor, or brain bleeding caused by physical trauma.

On average, life expectancy oscillates from several years to a decade, with men experiencing a slightly shorter lifespan in comparison to women​. To treat alcoholic dementia, the primary approach involves abstinence from alcohol, as continued consumption worsens cognitive decline. Early-stage symptoms are relatively subtle, while middle and late stages involve more pronounced deficits that affect daily life. 313,958 White British current drinkers in the UK Biobank were followed for 13.2 years, during which 1.7% (5,394) developed dementia. Conventional analysis showed a J-shaped relationship, with the lowest dementia risk at 12.2 units of alcohol per week.