Two studies are proposed which examine CNS dysfunction in family history positive and negative community alcoholic men and women, as manifested on neuropsychological (NP) tests and in men, 3 classes of evoked brain potentials (EP) obtained 3 to 6 weeks postdetoxification. The NP tests measure verbal, abstracting/problem-solving, learning, memory and perceptual motor functions. The EP paradigms set within an information processing context, measure auditory and somatosensory functional integrity and neural mechanisms that index aspects of selective attention and stimulus evaluation. Study A compares a male VA sample of 126 alcoholics to our community alcoholic and nonalcoholic males with the aims of: 1) confirming the hypothesis that the VA sample will have more NP and EP deficits; and 2) exploring a new dimension of family history analyses in which NP and EP performances will be compared in FH+ alcoholics with a father alcoholic vs. FH+ alcoholics where another primary relative is alcoholic vs. FH alcoholics;3) investigation NP and EP differences in Cloninger's Type 1 an Type 2 alcoholics based on recent findings of our current study and the relationship of antisocial and depressive symptoms of Types 1 and 2 and NP deficits; 4) investigating the psychosocial correlates of FH+ and FH- alcoholics as a function of Type 1 and 2 membership; 5) investigating EP changes in alcoholics by using a somatosensory paradigm. Study B compares a new sample of 64 female alcoholics from community treatment programs to our current samples in order to:
Aim 6) cross validate our current finding of NP performance deficits in Type 1 and """"""""?Type 2"""""""" female alcoholics;
Aim 8) investigate the medical and psychosocial differences in FH+ and FH alcoholics as a function of Type 1 and """"""""?Type 2"""""""" alcoholics and Aim 9) determine whether there are deficits in female alcoholics interpersonal and """"""""real life"""""""" impersonal problem solving and whether these deficits are predicted by our impersonal laboratory tests of problem-solving. New control samples of 24 community male and 20 females will also be tested to control for """"""""Experimental Drift"""""""" and to increase the Ns of our present control groups. The results of these proposed studies will be relevant to issues and questions surrounding NP and EP impairment in male and female alcoholics and the determinants of the individual differences with respect to the expression of these deficits. The results will be of interest to alcohol clinicians and researchers, psychologists, psychiatrists, rehabilitation specialists and other mental health workers.
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