Aim: To explore the expression of oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) in the brain of patients with alcohol dependence. Further, to evaluate the diagnostic value of oxy-Hb in the cognitive impairment of patients with alcohol dependence.
Methods: Seventy-one alcohol-dependent adults and 70 healthy adults were recruited in the observation and control groups, respectively. The oxy-Hb level and scores of Wisconsin card sorting test, brief visuospatial memory test-revised, digital sequence test, digital span test, and continuous performance test were recorded and compared between the two groups. Further, the sensitivity and specificity of the oxy-Hb level for the diagnosis of cognitive impairment in patients with alcohol dependence were evaluated by drawing an ROC curve. Moreover, the correlation between the oxy-Hb level and cognitive function test scores was analyzed by Pearson's correlation analysis.
Results: During cognitive activities, the oxy-Hb levels in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (p<0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) of oxy-Hb was 0.930, and the sensitivity and specificity were 89.1% and 84.0%, respectively. The scores of responses administered, trials to compete first category, perseverative responses, and the perseverative response errors in executive function in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (p<0.001), whereas the correct responses score and categories completed score were lower than those in the control group (p<0.001). Similarly, the memory and attention scores of the observation group were lower than those of the control group (p<0.001). Moreover, the scores of correct responses, categories completed, brief visuospatial memory test-revised, digital sequence test, digital span test, and continuous performance test were positively correlated with the level of oxy-Hb (p<0.05). However, the scores of responses administered, trials to compete first category, and perseverative response errors were negatively correlated with the oxy-Hb level (p<0.001).
Conclusions: The oxy-Hb levels are reduced in patients with alcohol dependence and have high diagnostic accuracy for cognitive impairment in such patients.