Alcohol-Dependent Individuals Make Detrimental Decisions under Ambiguous and Perilous Conditions

The present study assessed the decision-making abilities of patients with alcohol dependence (AD) under ambiguity or risk conditions. Forty-eight AD patients and 50 healthy controls (HC) were subjected to the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), and Game of Dice Task (GDT) systems for evaluating their decision-making ability. Age, duration of education, and MMSE scores were compared between the AD and HC groups. The communication in each block/choice and the group was evaluated along with the relationship between the trial block and choice. The basic characteristics were similar between both groups. Reduced mean net scores (IGT) and frequencies of choice were found for various alternatives (GDT) in AD patients as compared to the healthy controls. The net scores of first block (IGT test) and GDT test in AD patients were associated remarkably. These findings indicated a worse decision-making performance in AD patients compared to HCs under both ambiguity and risk conditions.