All included patients were asymptomatic at the baseline with no evidence of neurological impairment. Patients with a history of moderate alcohol drinking plus hepatitis B/C virus infection, medication for sedation, MELD (Model for End-stage Liver Disease) score of more than 20, OHE, seizure, head trauma, stroke, dementia, Parkinson's disease, or any kind of focal neurologic deficits were excluded. Any patients who were suspected of alcohol induced direct neurologic damages such as Wernicke's encephalopathy, alcohol induced spinal cord disease, or alcohol induced peripheral nerve disease were excluded. After evaluating the data including the laboratory findings, image findings, endoscopic findings, and medical records of all these patients, as well as liver biopsy findings for some patients, we sub-classified these 88 patients into two groups: alcoholic LC and viral LC. Finally, 80 patients (viral: 37; alcohol: 43) with compensated LC were prospectively considered in this study.

Laboratory and imaging test

• Biochemical serum test: total bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), haptoglobin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, α-fetoprotein (AFP), prothrombin time, blood glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol.
• Baseline evaluations: family and alcohol history, X-ray, electrocardiography, blood tests for electrolyte, liver function, and viral markers

Neuropsychological test

-Attention, Language, Visuospatial, Memory, Frontal/executive

Compare the liver enzyme level Serum biochemical parameters included total bilirubin(mg/dL), alanine aminotransferase(ALT(IU/L)), haptoglobin(mg/dL), aspartate aminotransferase (AST (IU/L)), gamma glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT(IU/L)), alkaline phosphatase (ALP(IU/L)), albumin(g/dL), blood urea nitrogen(mg/dL), creatinine(mg/dL), α-fetoprotein (AFP(ng/mL)), prothrombin time, blood glucose(mg/dL), triglycerides(mg/dL), and total cholesterol(mg/dL).

Assessment to measure cognitive function using neuropsychological test

Compare the body mass index