Impaired Decision Making Related to Working Memory Deficits in Individuals With Substance Addictions
Theoretical Rationale
Attentional biases are individually experienced by substance users, it also interacts with a variety of other areas of their own subjective experience, like craving when faced directly with a substance or the thought of. The theoretical models of addiction propose that attentional bias for substance related prompts should be associated with self-reported craving. The purpose of this article was to analyze specific nature and association in correlation with an individual’s craving and attentional bias. If there is indeed an association between the two variables, this would be monumental and have many implications for future
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The inattention and distraction that takes over the activity in the hippocampus significantly impairs memory, encoding and the formulation of the declarative memory. Therefore, in this study the declarative memory comes into play for remembering “what”. The alcoholic is particularly impaired in the encoding part of the episodic memory, recall and short term (working) memory from which is described as the “scratch pad” for temporary memory recall. The prefrontal cortex in the front of the brain plays a pivotal role in short term and working memory, this is where initiation and regulation of cognitive and behavioral responses happen
(Abernathy, 2010). Working memory includes several components, for example, short-term storage, rehearsal, and executive processes operating on the contents of storage (Smith, 2000).
Research questions being asked in the study.
Do alcoholics have difficulties in associative memory which is part of episodic memory? Will alcoholics have issues with daily living and functioning in relation to memory? Since short term memory is a temporary storage of information that eventually turns into long term memory, does the alcoholic have issues in this area?
Experimental design and the findings of the
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Alcoholics were less likely to accurately recall the correct face name pattern and had troubles remembering which face they had seen earlier in the task. These impaired memory abilities will result in the alcoholic to have harmful consequences while trying to live out daily activities such as, going to work and day to day functioning. The researchers also state that memory disorders may result in family conflicts because it may seem as the individual is disinterested in family life. Finally, impaired episodic memory may hinder the alcoholic from getting the optimal benefits from a treatment facility because rehabilitation would mean learning new things such as, self-awareness through understanding and evaluation of the causes, triggers, environmental attributes of their addiction. Another area discussed in this article was short term memory and the alcoholic, it seems this researcher found that an alcoholic had trouble remembering a number while dialing
Working Memory is STM. In contrast to the Multi-Store Model, where all the information goes to one single store (Unitary store), there are different systems for the different types of information. Working Memory consists of
MAIN POINTS/FINDINGS: The authors first looked at the premature aging hypothesis and its association with alcoholism. They reported that most studies found that as an individual ages the harmful neurological effects of alcohol become more pronounced and the brain is more susceptible to permanent damage or greater reduction in size of the cerebral cortex, corpus callosum, hippocampus, and cerebellum. There is also an association between neuropsychological and psychomotor deficits in older alcoholics. In terms of gender the review found evidence episodic memory tasks were performed better on by women across all varying degrees of drinking habits (non, light, moderate, and heavy) than men. Men performed better on visuospatial tasks, but only in the non and light drinker groups. fMRI data looking at gender differences in alcohol-related brain impairment showed inconsistent results and the authors suggested that further research is necessary in this area of study. Results of twin, family, and adoption studies showed that there are genetic risk factors that influence susceptibility to alcoholism, while
As a college student, alcohol is a very real and prevalent temptation. It is a normal occurrence for a Friday night to be filled with friends, a bonfire, and alcohol out on the lake. Unfortunately, not many students know the effects of alcohol on their brain. I took a personal interest in this subject because alcoholism runs deep in my family. I want to know what effects my personal consumption of alcohol have on my brain and how they will affect my life if I continue to drink or choose to stop.
This essay addresses the working memory model which was proposed by Baddeley and Hitch (1974 in Smith & Kosslyn, 2007) as a response to Atkinson and Shiffrins (1968 in Smith, 2007) multi-store model. According to Baddely and Hitch the multi-store model failed to explain most of the complexities of the human memory and viewed it as being too simplistic. They argued that the short term memory store must have more components rather it being a single inflexible store as suggested previously by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968). The working memory model is therefore an enhancement of the multi store model. According to Baddeley and Hitch working memory is a limited- capacity system that stores and processes information.
Alcohol is a liquid substance that can which when consumed slows down the brain. It also alters the brain to increase the risk of depression and anxiety. When too much alcohol is consumed it can cause memory loss.
An alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains a psychoactive drug ethanol, a depressant which in low doses causes euphoria, reduced anxiety, sociability which in higher doses could be caused by unconsciousness, lack of critical mental function and intoxication. Drinking alcoholic beverages is not a current event, the production, transportation and the distribution of alcohol were banned in the 1920s under the presidency of President Woodrow Wilson by the Eighteenth Amendment. This paper talks about the effects of excessive drinking of alcohol termed as alcohol dependence on the volume or size of the hippocampus of humans. The hippocampus is a small organ located in the temporal lobe. The hippocampus is an important part of the limbic system. The hippocampus is mainly associated with memory, mainly long-term memory which is important in the learning process.
Fingarette’s (1988) position is that no leading research authorities accept the disease concept of alcoholism (p.4). The experts say the disease concept is “old and biased”, a model whose suggestions are invalid. But, the basic text of Alcoholics Anonymous (2001) states that not only does alcoholism affect the mind, but the body as well (xxvi). In a letter written to Alcoholics Anonymous, Dr.William D.Silkworth, a well known chief physician at a nationally prominent hospital that specialized in treating alcoholism and drug addiction, state that “the action of alcohol on chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy called “the phenomenon of craving” (Alcoholics Anonymous,2001,p.xxviii). Some may believe that alcoholism is just a matter of self control or self will, but we have shown that it takes much more than the unaided will to arrest this sometimes fatal disease Many have suffered the effects of alcoholism and can attest to the fact that it is a disease. Some can remember drinking until passed out, the trouble they caused themselves and others while
Research testing the role of alcohol in T2D has provide conflicting conclusions, with some researchers predict an escalation in risk of diabetes in alcohol consumers, while other researchers have predicted the opposite view. Even though there are a number of extensive investigations and assessments, the specific role of alcohol consumption in the occurrence and workings of T2D are inadequately known. The target of this research is to look at the connection of alcohol use as it relates to diabetic pathology and cognitive behavior. (p. 811)
Alcohol affects the brain for a short-term– but repeated drinking may have an impact down the road, especially as a person’s brains grow and develop (NIDA, 2016). When a person is under the influence, he or she may feel their bodies having less aware of their surroundings. A person also may feel very relaxed and perform risky behavior, without even realizing. Long- term effects of alcoholism can cause a person to have trouble processing, learning, or a dependence on
Alcoholism has raised many debates over the truth of its nature. Many scholars argue that alcoholism can be treated as a disease. Such approach to defining alcoholism means denying that alcohol abusers own a choice. In consequence, the treatment related differs and may or may not actually help alcoholics recover. A wrong diagnostic of this addiction can lead to serious health issues; therefore, it is vital to answer the following question: Is alcoholism a disease? Most experts in this field criticises this view of alcoholism as a disease due to the fact that this theory simply lacks a cure. It also victimises alcohol abuser, hence, completely negating the power of will. Finally, the disease theory comes from a history of misinformation that has now resulted in the very source of confusion within our society. Alcoholism is extremely complex and affects all part of the abuser, the brain, the body, the genes, and the psychic; hence, it is hard to classify alcoholism as a whole Instead, it should be regarded in a case-by-case fashion.
When alcohol is consumed it attacks and impairs a variety of cognitive processes (Norton & Halay, 2001). Some of these cognitive processes include: executive decision making, impulse control, modification of emotion, and future preparation (Norton et al., 2001). The focus of this Research Paper will be to examine the cognitive effects of alcohol consumption and any correlations between impulse control (impulsivity) and alcohol consumption. Research studies have shown that alcohol use disrupts the neurocognitive processes involved in self-regulation and is associated with a high level of behavioral disinhibition, which is characteristic of the personality trait impulsivity (Noel, Tomberg, Verbanck & Campanella, 2010).
Alcohol impairs judgment, memory, concentration and coordination, as well as inducing extreme mood swings and emotional
There are so many impacts that alcohol has on your body-acute effects, short-term effects, and long-term effects. A person’s brain is affected extremely from alcohol. While you are under the influence, cognitive abilities are affected even with the smallest measures of alcohol. Memory cells and those
Drinking can cause a person to have a complete personality change and become violent or hostile after drinking. They may also become irritable or panicky during times when a drink is expected. An alcoholic may drink to the point of black out; this is where they don’t remember what they’ve done or said that happened during a bout of drinking. A definite red flag for alcoholism is when a person has to have to drink in the morning when they first wake up.