A common consequence of chronically high alcohol consumption is a decline in cognitive function, which can even progress to full-blown dementia. However, we do not yet fully understand how alcohol damages the brain. A research group led by Stephan Listabarth from MedUni Vienna’s Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Social Psychiatry, has now developed a hypothesis whereby iron deposits in the brain—resulting from alcohol-induced vitamin B1 deficiency—can be regarded as key factors in cognitive decline. The work has now been published in the leading journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
In Austria, around 5% of the…
