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Alcohol addiction may impact neurocognitive skills in elderly

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alcoholicNew York : Excess consumption of alcohol can cause neurophysiological and cognitive changes ranging from disrupted sleep to more serious neurotoxic effects, a study has found.

The negative consequences of heavy alcohol consumption on neurocognitive function gets worse with advanced age, the study said.

Results showed that heavy drinking in older adults could lead to poorer global cognitive function, learning, memory and motor function.

Although the acute consumption of excessive quantities of alcohol causes neurophysiological and cognitive alterations, as people reach advanced age, they are more prone to cognitive decline, more due to the heavy dependence of alcohol, the researchers observed.

“These data suggest that while heavy current alcohol consumption is associated with significant impairment in a number of neurocognitive domains, history of alcohol dependence, even in the absence of heavy current alcohol use, is associated with lasting negative consequences for neurocognitive function,” said Adam J. Woods from the University of Florida in the US.

For the study, the team recruited 66 participants (35 women, 31 men) from the Brown University Center for AIDS Research, to undergo a comprehensive neurocognitive battery of testing.

Heavy drinkers were classified using National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria and structured clinical interviews and, further, were compared to non-drinkers and moderate drinkers.

Nearly 53 per cent showed had a lifetime history of alcohol dependence (AD).

Neurocognitive data were grouped according to global cognitive function, attention/executive function, learning, memory, motor function, verbal function, and speed of processing.

The findings were published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Corona

Covid toll in Karnataka is a worrying sign for state government

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Even though Karnataka recorded the lowest number of Covid deaths in April since the virus struck first in 2020, the state is recording a rise in the positivity rate (1.50 per cent). Five people died from the Covid infections in April as per the statistics released by the state health department. In March, the positivity rate stood around 0.53 per cent. In the first week of April it came down to 0.38 per cent, second week registered 0.56 per cent, third week it rose to 0.79 per cent and by end of April the Covid positivity rate touched 1.19 per cent.

on an average 500 persons used to succumb everyday in the peak of Covid infection, as per the data. Health experts said that the mutated Coronavirus is losing its fierce characteristics as vaccination, better treatment facilities and awareness among the people have contributed to the lesser number of Covid deaths.

During the 4th and 6th of April two deaths were reported in Bengaluru, one in Gadag district on April 8, two deaths were reported from Belagavi and Vijayapura on April 30. The first Covid case was reported in the state in March 2020 and three Covid deaths were recorded in the month. In the following month 21 people became victims to the deadly virus, and May 2020 recorded 22 deaths. The death toll recorded everyday after May crossed three digits. However, the third wave, which started in January 2

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