2066 Neurobehavioral Sequelae in Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Patients Post-Head Injury: A Comparative Study

INTRODUCTION: Head injuries often result in significant cognitive impairments. Alcohol consumption is known to exacerbate the severity of these impairments. This study aims to evaluate and compare the extent of neurobehavioral sequelae in alcoholic and non-alcoholic patients following head injuries. METHODS: A total of 165 head injury patients were classified into alcoholic (n=66) and non-alcoholic (n=99) groups. Neurobehavioral assessments included the ACEE, Attention and Concentration, Memory, Verbal Fluency, Language, Visuospatial Abilities, Digit Span (Forward and Backward), TMT-A and B, and Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices. Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to compare the two groups across these variables. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed between alcoholic and non-alcoholic patients in the domains of attention and concentration (alcoholics mean rank: 95.27 vs. non-alcoholics mean rank: 74.82), visuospatial abilities (alcoholics mean rank: 70.05 vs non-alcoholics mean rank: 91.64), digit span-forward (alcoholics mean rank: 69.43 vs. non-alcoholics mean rank: 92.05), digit span-backward (alcoholics mean rank: 74.27 vs. non-alcoholics mean rank: 88.82), Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices score (alcoholics mean rank: 73.15 vs. non-alcoholics mean rank: 89.57), WLL - Immediate Recall (alcoholics mean rank: 71.86 vs. non-alcoholics mean rank: 90.42), WLL - Delayed Recall (alcoholics mean rank: 73.68, non-alcoholics mean rank: 89.21), and memory (alcoholics mean rank: 71.30 vs. non-alcoholics mean rank: 86.17). No significant differences were found in orientation, verbal fluency, language, and IQ domains. CONCLUSIONS: Alcoholic patients exhibited more severe impairments in attention, concentration, visuospatial abilities, and memory functions compared to non-alcoholic patients post-head injury. These findings underscore the need for tailored rehabilitation strategies to address the specific neurobehavioral deficits in alcoholic head injury patients.