Association of alcohol drinking with verbal and visuospatial memory impairment in older adults: Clinical Research Center for Dementia of South Korea (CREDOS) study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The study's aim was to examine the association of alcohol consumption with verbal and visuospatial memory impairment in older people.

METHODS: Participants were 1,572, aged ≥60 years, in the hospital-based registry of the Clinical Research Center for Dementia of South Korea (CREDOS). Moderate drinking was defined as no more than seven drinks per week and three drinks per day. Memory impairment was defined as performance with more than 1 standard deviation below the mean value on the Seoul Verbal Learning Test and Rey Complex Figure Test.

RESULTS: Those who consumed alcohol moderately, compared with abstainers, had a lower odds of verbal memory impairment (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.64; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.46-0.87), adjusting for covariates. Visuospatial memory, however, was not significantly associated with alcohol consumption.

CONCLUSIONS: Moderate alcohol drinking is associated with a reduced likelihood of verbal memory impairment among older people attending memory clinics.