(Parsons 1993). This finding suggests that variables other than the presumed direct neurotoxic effects of alcohol may play a role in determining alcohol-related cognitive decline. In response to the variability in the consequences of alcoholism, researchers have looked for common elements that might help explain why certain alcoholics develop specific neurological symptoms or mental changes. Factors that may influence the neurological consequences of alcoholism include coexisting health problems, such as malnutrition and liver disease; the age at which problem drinking begins; the gender of the alcoholic; and a family history of alcoholism. These factors are considered in the sections that follow.
