European journal of internal medicine
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Jan 2025
What is the impact of thiamine deficiency on cognitive function in patients with alcohol use disorder? - A systematic review.
Cognitive impairments are frequently observed in patients with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Thiamine deficiency is often found in AUD patients and has been suggested as a possible cause of cognitive impairments. While thiamine deficiency is not consistently present in all AUD patients with cognitive deficits, thiamine is traditionally prescribed to patients with AUD to treat or prevent cognitive impairment. ⋯ This review indicates that there is a relationship between thiamine levels and cognitive function in AUD patients, even in the absence of thiamine deficit. The cognitive domains particularly affected are visuospatial/executive ability, abstraction, attention, verbal fluency, and memory scores, notably delayed memory. Additionally, studies have demonstrated that thiamine supplementation in AUD patients, even in the absence of thiamine deficit, leads to improvements in cognitive function.