The study presented here examined currently abstinent alcoholics (ALC) and age-matched comparison volunteers on cognitive and motor abilities, with a focus on the associations between the pattern and severity of cognitive and upper motor deficits and Caine-related neurological and nutritional criteria. We tested three primary hypotheses: 1) the total group of ALC men and women compared with comparison participants would show mild to moderate deficits on selective cognitive (e.g., executive functions, episodic memory, and visuospatial construction) and motor (e.g., upper limb motor speed and dexterity) measures; 2) categorizing the ALC group by Caine criteria would reveal a stepwise deficit severity, where ALCs meeting 2 or more criteria would show the greatest and most widespread cognitive deficits, pronounced in memory impairment; and 3) cognitive and motor scores in the ALC group would be differentially associated with factors related to alcohol consumption, neurological function, and dietary variables, with executive functioning and motor speed associated with cerebellar dysfunction assessed with balance and gait tasks and episodic memory associated with dietary factors assessed here as thiamine levels.
