What are the characteristics of alcohol-related neurologic disease?

Answer 1

The long-term neurological repercussions of heavy drinking and Alcoholism are: changes in emotions and personality; impaired perception, learning, and memory; and brain abnormalities such as atrophy of nerve cells and brain shrinkage. At a cellular level, alcohol appears to interfere with the action of glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and other neurotransmitters. Neurological disorders may result from vitamin deficiency and liver disease, due to alcoholism. Short-term neurological effects of drinking include: difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction times, and impaired memory.

Answer 2

Severe alcoholism can cause cerebellar degeneration, a slowly progressive condition affecting portions of the brain called the anterior and superior cerebellar vermis, causing a wide-based gait, leg incoordination, and an inability to walk.

Answer 3

Neurologic complications of alcohol abuse may also result from nutritional deficiency, because alcoholics tend to eat poorly and may become depleted of thiamine or other vitamins important for nervous system function.

Answer 4

Alcohol-related neurological disease represents a broad spectrum of conditions caused by acute or chronic alcohol intake.