Treatment of chronic organic mental disorders associated with alcoholism.

Considering the magnitude of the problem, the treatment of alcoholism-associated chronic organic mental disorders has not been extensively studied. Alcoholic organic brain disease is heuristically viewed as the admixture of clinical syndromes of impairment [alcoholic amnestic disorder or Korsakoff's psychosis (KP) and dementia associated with alcoholism (DAA)], each with its distinguishing cognitive, neuropathological, and neurochemical characteristics. Differences between KP and DAA are highlighted by studies that compare KP patients with those having Alzheimer's disease or depression. Furthermore, treatment of cognitive deficits in KP and DAA may be modeled after strategies that have proved effective for these other neuropsychiatric disorders. Although abstinence and proper nutrition remain the cornerstones of treatment, pharmacological modification of neurotransmitter function and/or enhancement of cerebral metabolism combined with behavioral methods may also be beneficial. Serotonergic approaches to improve memory in detoxified alcoholics may also reduce alcohol intake, and this has implication for treatment of less impaired alcoholics.