Alcohol-relateddementiaFromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopediaJumptonavigationJumptosearchAlcohol-relateddementia(ARD)isaformofdementiacausedbylong-term,excessiveconsumptionofalcoholicbeverages,resultinginneurologicaldamageandimpairedcognitivefunction.[1]Contents1Terminology2Signsandsymptoms3Pathophysiology4Diagnosis4.1Diagnosticcriteria5Treatment6Prognosis6.1Recovery7Epidemiology8Notablecases9References10ExternallinksTerminology[edit]Alcohol-relateddementiaisabroadtermcurrentlypreferredamongmedicalprofessionals.[2]Manyexpertsusethetermsalcohol(oralcoholic)dementiatodescribeaspecificformofARD,characterizedbyimpairedexecutivefunction(planning,thinking,andjudgment).[3]AnotherformofARDisknownaswetbrain(Wernicke–Korsakoffsyndrome),characterizedbyshorttermmemorylossandthiamine(vitaminB1)deficiency.ARDpatientsoftenhavesymptomsofbothforms,i.e.impairedabilitytoplan,apathy,andmemoryloss.ARDmayoccurwithotherformsofdementia(mixeddementia).ThediagnosisofARDiswidelyrecognizedbutrarelyapplied,duetoalackofspecificdiagnosticcriteria.Onmanynon-medicalwebsites,thetermswetbrainandalcohol-relateddementiaareoftenusedinterchangeably,creatingsignificantconfusion.Additionally,thetermalcohol-inducedpersistentdementiaisanothernonspecificnamethatissometimesused.Signsandsymptoms[edit]Alcohol-relateddementiapresentsasaglobaldeteriorationinintellectualfunctionwithmemorynotbeingspecificallyaffected,butitmayoccurwithotherformsofdementia,resultinginawiderangeofsymptoms.[4]Certainindividualswithalcohol-relateddementiapresentwithdamagetothefrontallobesoftheirbraincausingdisinhibition,lossofplanningandexecutivefunctions,andadisregardfortheconsequencesoftheirbehavior.Othertypesofalcohol-relateddementiasuchasKorsakoff'sSyndromecausethedestructionofcertainareasofthebrain,wherechangesinmemory,primarilyalossofshort-termmemory,[5]arethemainsymptom.MostpresentationsofalcoholdementiaaresomewherealongthespectrumbetweenaglobaldementiaandKorsakoff'spsychosis,andmayincludesymptomsofboth.[4]Individualsaffectedbyalcohol-