Alcohol and the Adult Brain

237 Pages·2014·3.88 MB·English

by  Jenny Svanberg

ALCOHOL AND THE ADULT BRAIN
The research literature on the impact of alcohol on the brain has seen a rapid
expansion in recent years. A lcohol and the Adult Brain presents an up-to-date over-
view of some of the issues relevant to understanding and working with people with
cognitive impairment as a result of chronic alcohol use.
One issue causing barriers to effective treatment and care is the stigma associated
with alcohol dependence, resulting in the belief that difficulties associated with
alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) are ‘self-inflicted’. Cognitive changes resulting
from alcohol excess and poor nutrition can directly affect an individual’s ability to
motivate themselves, make decisions and make the informed choices that underlie
behavior change. Attitudes held by professionals, reinforced by societal norms, that a
person is ‘choosing to drink’ and ‘not motivated to engage with treatment’, in com-
bination with the often subtle cognitive deficits associated with ARBD, can result in
a lack of timely intervention, with enormous personal, social and economic cost.
The chapters in this book set ARBD in a social and cultural context, provide
discussion of the difficulties in definition and diagnosis, and outline the structural
brain changes and neuropsychological deficits associated with chronic alcohol use.
The book provides an overview of recent research on ARBD, including impairments
associated with Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, and discusses up-to-date recom-
mendations for managing and working with this complex and varied disorder.
Alcohol and the Adult Brain will be essential for students and researchers working
with ARBD and for practitioners in a range of health, social care and voluntary settings.
Jenny Svanberg is the Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Forth Valley Substance
Misuse Service, Scotland, UK, and was previously Principal Clinical Psychologist at
the ARBD Service, Glasgow, UK.
Adrienne Withall is a Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow at the School
of Public Health and Community Medicine within the University of New South
Wales and a clinician within Aged Care Psychiatry at the Prince of Wales Hospital,
Sydney, Australia.
Brian Draper is a Professor (Conjoint) at the School of Psychiatry, University of
New South Wales, Sydney, and the Director of the Academic Department for Old
Age Psychiatry at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia.
Stephen Bowden is a Professor in the School of Psychological Sciences, University
of Melbourne, and Consultant Neuropsychologist at St Vincent’s Hospital,
Melbourne, Australia.
Current Issues in Neuropsychology
Series Editor: Jon Evans
Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Glasgow, UK
Current Issues in Neuropsychology is a series of edited books that reflect the state-of-
the-art areas of current and emerging interest in the psychological study of brain
damage, behavior and cognition.
Each volume is tightly focused on a particular topic, with chapters contributed
by international experts. The editors of individual volumes are leading figures in
their areas and provide an introductory overview of the field.
Each book will reflect an issue, area of uncertainty or controversy, with contri-
butors providing a range of views on the central topic. Examples include the question
of whether technology can enhance, support or replace impaired cognition, and how
best to understand, assess and manage alcohol related brain damage.
Published titles in the series
Assistive Technology for Cognition
Edited by Brian O’Neill and Alex Gillespie
Alcohol and the Adult Brain
Jenny Svanberg, Adrienne Withall, Brian Draper and Stephen Bowden
ALCOHOL AND THE
ADULT BRAIN
Edited by Jenny Svanberg, Adrienne Withall,
Brian Draper and Stephen Bowden
First published 2015
by Psychology Press
27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA
and by Psychology Press
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Psychology Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 Jenny Svanberg, Adrienne Withall, Brian Draper and Stephen Bowden
The right of the editors to be identified as the authors of the editorial material,
and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Alcohol and the adult brain / edited by Jenny Svanberg, Adrienne Withall,
Brian Draper and Stephen Bowden.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
I. Svanberg, Jenny, editor. II. Withall, Adrienne, editor. III. Draper, Brian, editor.
IV. Bowden, Stephen, 1955- , editor.
[DNLM: 1. Alcohol-Induced Disorders, Nervous System–chemically induced.
2. Cognition Disorders–epidemiology. 3. Alcohol Drinking–adverse effects.
WM 274]
RC565
616.86’1–dc23
2014027256
ISBN: 978-1-84872-307-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-84872-308-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-74292-2 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Deer Park Productions
CONTENTS
Contributors vii
Acknowledgements ix
1 Introduction 1
Jenny Svanberg
2 Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome 5
Simon Scalzo, Stephen Bowden and Matti Hillbom
3 Alcohol-related dementia and brain damage: a focus
on epidemiology 31
Nicole Ridley and Brian Draper
4 Cultural considerations in alcohol use and misuse 49
Carly Johnco and Brian Draper
5 Comorbidity and complexity in chronic alcohol misuse 65
Apo Demirkol and Nicholas Lintzeris
6 Alcohol and cognitive impairment: considerations
with the older client 83
Adrienne Withall and Samaneh Shafi ee
7 Alcohol-related brain damage and neuropathology 108
Lisa Savage
vi Contents
8 The relation of alcohol-induced brain changes to
cognitive function 126
Hélène Beaunieux, Francis Eustache and Anne-Lise Pitel
9 Alcohol, ageing and cognitive function: a nutritional
perspective 146
Adrian Bonner
10 N europsychological assessment of alcohol-related
cognitive impairment 165
Jenny Svanberg, Fraser Morrison and Breda Cullen
11 E thical issues associated with alcohol-related cognitive
impairment 182
Chris Perkins and John Hopkins
12 T he clinical rehabilitation of people with
alcohol-related brain damage 196
Ken Wilson
Index 213
CONTRIBUTORS
Hélène Beaunieux, Université de Caen Neuropsychologie cognitive et neuro-
anatomie fonctionnelle de la mémoire humaine, Université de Caen Basse-
Normandie, Unité de recherché, France
Adrian Bonner, The Salvation Army, London, UK; and School of Applied Social
Science, University of Stirling, UK
Stephen Bowden, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of
Melbourne, Australia
Breda Cullen, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, UK
Apo Demirkol, Drug and Alcohol Services, South Eastern Sydney Local Health
District, Australia, and School of Public Health and Community Medicine,
UNSW, Australia
Brian Draper, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Australia, Australia; and Academic
Department for Old Age Psychiatry, Euroa Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital,
Australia
Francis Eustache, Université de Caen Neuropsychologie cognitive et neuroanat-
omie fonctionnelle de la mémoire humaine, Université de Caen Basse-
Normandie, France
Matti Hillbom, Department of Neurology, University of Oulu, Finland
John Hopkins, Koropiko Mental Health Services for Older People, Counties
Manukau District Health Board, Middlemore Hospital, New Zealand
Carly Johnco, Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology,
Macquarie University, Australia
viii Contributors
Nicholas Lintzeris, Drug and Alcohol Services, South East Sydney Local Health
District, Australia, and Discipline of Addiction Medicine, University of Sydney,
Australia
Fraser Morrison, Addictions Psychology Service, UK
Chris Perkins, Selwyn Centre for Ageing and Spirituality, The Selwyn Foundation,
New Zealand
Anne-Lise Pitel, Université de Caen Neuropsychologie cognitive et neuroanato-
mie fonctionnelle de la mémoire humaine, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie,
France
Nicole Ridley, Dementia Collaborative Research Centre, School of Psychiatry
Faculty of Medicine, Australia
Lisa Savage, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton
University, State University of New York, USA
Simon Scalzo, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of
Melbourne, Australia
Samaneh Shafi ee, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty
of Medicine, Samuels Building, Australia
Jenny Svanberg, Forth Valley Substance Misuse Service, NHS Forth Valley and
Forth Valley Alcohol and Drug Partnership, Stirling Community Hospital, UK
Ken Wilson, Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool,
St Catherine’s Hospital, UK
Adrienne Withall, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of
Medicine, UNSW, Australia
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Table 2.1 is reproduced from Neurologic Clinics, 28, Kumar, N. Neurologic
presentations of nutritional deficiencies, p107-170, Copyright (2010), with per-
mission from Elsevier.
Figures 2.1 and 2.2 are reproduced from Zuccoli, G., Santa Cruz, D., Bertolini,
M., Rovira, A., Gallucci, M., Carollo, C., and Pipitone, N. MR imaging findings
in 56 patients with Wernicke encephalopathy: Nonalcoholics may differ from
alco holics. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 30, p171-176, copyright (2009) by
American Society of Neuroradiology.
Figures 8.1 and 8.2 are reproduced from Pitel, A.-L., Chételat, G., Le Berre, A. P.,
Desgranges, B., Eustache, F., and Beaunieux, H. Macrostructural abnormalities in
Korsakoff syndrome compared with uncomplicated alcoholism. Neurology, 78(17),
1330–1333, with permission from Wolters Kluwer Health.
Figure 8.6 is reproduced from Le Berre, A. P., Rauchs, G., La Joie, R., Mézenge,
F., Boudehent, C., Vabret, F., Segobin, S., Viader, F., Allain, P., Eustache, F., Pitel,
A-L., and Beaunieux, H. Impaired decision-making and brain shrinkage in alco-
holism. European Psychiatry: The Journal of the Association of European
Psychiatrists, 29(3), 125–133. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights
reserved.
Figures 8.7 is reproduced from Le Berre, A. P., Rauchs, G., La Joie, R., Segobin, S.,
Mézenge, F., Boudehent, C., Vabret, F., Viader, F., Eustache, F., Pitel, A-L., and
Beaunieux, H. Readiness to change and brain damage in patients with chronic
alcoholism. Psychiatry Research, 213(3), 202–209. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier
Masson SAS. All rights reserved.