Document Type : Review Article

Author

Neurocognitive Laboratory, Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies. Translational Neuroscience Program, Institute for Cognitive Science Studies, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Alcohol provokes different molecular pathways contributing to a clinically significant neurotoxicity in different brain areas. Affected cognition in alcoholics can influence both daily life functioning and alcohol craving management abilities. Preventing alcohol-induced neurotoxicity with different neuroprotective pharmacological interventions is receiving strong scientific backgrounds from published evidences done on animal models. But the question is how we can translate these evidences into clinical applications for active alcohol users. Cognitive rehabilitation with targeted and graded exercises has provided clinicians with new hopes for helping affected clients to retain their functions for a normal healthy life. Moreover, rehabilitation protocols for patients who have serious cognitive impairments due to chronic alcohol use disorder, current available interventional packages and future horizons for further studies in Iran should be addressed.

Keywords