ABSTRACT
There is no doubt that acute and/or chronic alcohol consumption contributes to the incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, more than three decades of research on the impact of alcohol on the pathophysiological, neuroanatomical and functional outcomes of TBI have produced inconsistent results. In this chapter, the authors summarize the primary outcomes reported in the majority of animal studies and a great number of clinical studies that have been conducted in these areas. Studies reporting beneficial or adverse effects of acute alcohol treatment in animal models of experimental TBI are reviewed first, followed by those animal studies reporting on the effects of chronic or repeated alcohol exposures. Clinical studies on short-term outcomes such as morbidity, complications or mortality during acute care that have been associated with a positive admission blood alcohol content are then summarized, where the majority of studies have indicated beneficial or null effects of alcohol while fewer indicate injury exacerbation or worsened outcomes. Finally, clinical studies that have examined the impact of a history of preinjury alcohol abuse on TBI outcomes and those clinical studies that have focused more on functional outcomes are reviewed.
