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Published on: January 5, 2018
Prospective memory and future event simulation in individuals with alcohol dependence.
Alison Griffiths1, Robert Hill, Celia Morgan
1Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, UCL, London, UK.
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
|May 15, 2012
Summary
Individuals with alcohol dependence show impaired prospective memory (PM), linked to alcohol use. An imagery technique did not improve PM in this group, suggesting potential strategy application difficulties.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Alcohol dependence is associated with cognitive impairments.
- Prospective memory (PM) is crucial for daily functioning and may be affected by alcohol use disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To objectively assess prospective memory (PM) performance in individuals with alcohol dependence.
- To investigate if an imagery encoding technique can enhance PM in this population.
Main Methods:
- An independent group design compared 24 abstinent individuals with alcohol dependence and 24 matched social drinkers.
- A battery of cognitive tests, including the Virtual Week (VW) for PM, was administered.
- Psychological measures assessed anxiety, depression, and alcohol dependence severity.
Main Results:
- Individuals with alcohol dependence exhibited significantly impaired event-based PM compared to social drinkers (P < 0.001).
- PM performance in the alcohol-dependent group strongly correlated with indices of alcohol usage (P < 0.001).
- Imagery technique improved time-based PM in social drinkers but not in individuals with alcohol dependence.
Conclusions:
- Individuals with alcohol dependence may have prospective memory deficits.
- These deficits might stem from difficulties in applying effective cognitive strategies.
