Acute Alcohol-induced Impairment of Cognitive Functions: Past and Present Findings

This paper deals with the acute impairing effects of alcohol on cognitive functions in healthy, non-alcohol dependent adults. The paper begins by describing how different aspects of human performance are not equally sensitive to the impairing effects of alcohol and that the majority of research on these differences poses unique challenges for summarizing and communicating this large body of evidence. The paper then discusses speeded and divided attention tasks as methods commonly used to assess the cognitive theories that have been offered to account for the findings based on these tasks. This is followed by a review of more contemporary methods and techniques that focus on how the drug impairs specific cognitive mechanisms that underlie the control and regulation of behavior. The paper concludes by explaining how acute impairments of such mechanisms might actually contribute to the abuse potential of alcohol for some individuals.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/1565012X
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Special Issue: Alcohol Related Cognitive Disorders
• Authors:
  • Fillmore, Mark T
• Publication Date: 2007-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 115-125
• Serial:
  • International Journal on Disability and Human Development
  • Volume: 6
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Freund Publishing House
  • ISSN: 1565-012X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohol abuse; Alcohol effects; Automobile driving; Cognition; Human factors in crashes; Impaired drivers; Traffic safety
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driving performance
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01110787
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 24 2008 10:37AM