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Most studies of the relationship between alcohol use and intelligence scores are cross-sectional, leaving the question of cause and effect unresolved. The short-term detrimental effects of excessive alcohol use on intellectual performance have long been documented, but the long-term consequences are unclear.
Now, researchers in Denmark have conducted a longitudinal study in which 2499 men in Danish health registries and the Lifestyle and Cognition Follow-up study 2015 were assessed for alcohol-related disorders and changes in intelligence test scores at two time points (mean ages, 20 and 62 years). A history of alcohol-related hospital diagnoses (ARHDs; psychiatric, somatic, or both) was used as a proxy for the diagnosis of alcohol-use disor…