DOI: https://doi.org/10.22263/2312-4156.2025.1.111
G.O. Usialionak, A.A. Kirpichenka, A.F. Martsinkevich
Correlation of neuropsychological deficits and substance abuse history data in men with initial and middle stages of alcohol dependence syndrome
Vitebsk State Order of Peoples’ Friendship Medical University, Vitebsk, Republic of Belarus
Vestnik VGMU. 2025;24(1):111-122.
Abstract.
The study of neuropsychological features in patients with alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) remains an important but insufficiently studied area of modern addictology. The need to clarify the relationship between the severity of the clinically revealed pathological process and neuropsychological characteristics, which may reflect the degree of the central nervous system damage, is of particular difficulty.
Objectives. To analyze the correlation between neuropsychological deficits and substance abuse history data in men with initial and middle stage ADS.
Material and methods. We examined 359 practically healthy participants, who made up the control group, as well as 312 patients of the narcological department of Vitebsk Regional Clinical Centre of Psychiatry and Narcology and individuals in Vitebsk Activity Therapy Centre No. 4 with the diagnosis of alcohol dependence syndrome (F10.2). The subjects were divided into 2 groups depending on the severity of the disease. Data statistical processing was performed using the R software environment version 4.4.1.
Results. Patients with ADS demonstrated pronounced neuropsychological deficits and social maladaptation. Aggressive behavior, autoaggression, psychotic manifestations (delirium, hallucinosis), amnesia and palimpsests were observed more frequently in patients of groups A2 and A1, and were associated with cognitive errors. Social instability including job change was associated with low risk appetite test scores.
Conclusions. The presence of patterns of cognitive dysfunction allows us considering neuropsychological indicators as an additional diagnostic criterion for specifying the stage of addiction and assessing the severity of the pathological process.
Keywords: neuropsychology, substance abuse history, NeuroSMG, diagnosis, alcohol dependence syndrome.
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Submitted 29.11.2024
Accepted 11.02.2025
Information about authors:
G.O. Usialionak – senior lecturer of the Chair of Psychiatry & Narcology with the course of the Faculty for Advanced Training & Retraining, Vitebsk State Order of Peoples’ Friendship Medical University,
е-mail: Этот адрес электронной почты защищён от спам-ботов. У вас должен быть включен JavaScript для просмотра. – Gleb Olegovich Usialionak;
A.A. Kirpichenka – Doctor of Medical Sciences, professor, head of the Chair of Psychiatry & Narcology with the course of the Faculty for Advanced Training & Retraining, Vitebsk State Order of Peoples’ Friendship Medical University;
A.F. Martsinkevich – Candidate of Biological Sciences, associate professor of the Chair of General & Clinical Biochemistry with the course of the Faculty for Advanced Training & Retraining, Vitebsk State Order of Peoples’ Friendship Medical University.
