Alcohol consumption and cognition

Abstract: There is evidence that alcohol consumption is increasing in recent decades, including both male and female older individuals. Excessive alcohol use can affect various functions, of which alcohol-related liver failure and cancer have mostly been the subject of research so far. However, it can also cause brain damage and cognitive impairment. At the same time, population aging also has an increased rate, which poses major challenges to the health care systems regarding age-related diseases such as cognitive impairment and dementia. In that work, we try to identify the role of alcohol in the clinical and demographic profile of individuals with mild cognitive impairment, investigate whether there are specific biomarkers for alcohol-related cognitive impairment in radiological imaging and performance on neuropsychological tests, and finally assess the diagnostic accuracy and clinical applicability of a specific screening instrument for delirium, which is a common condition among older individuals with cognitive impairment.