ABSTRACT
Alcoholism can result in damage to virtually any part of the nervous system, and muscles too can be affected. Acute alcohol poisoning is too familiar to warrant further discussion, and its consequences as they affect the nervous system, are well known. An acute alcoholic myopathy is a rare but striking illness. Alcohol itself is unlikely to be the responsible toxin, for improvement of the neuropathy can occur by restoration of normal diet despite continued drinking. Fits are a symptom of an abnormal cerebral cortex, so can be caused by many of the consequences of alcoholism. A small proportion of alcoholics develop bilateral progressive visual impairment, associated with characteristic central or centro-caecal scotoma and optic atrophy. Personality, intellect, perception and cognition are some criteria that distinguish one individual from another. Dementia refers to a global loss of all such higher mental function.
