Visual evoked potential correlates of information processing deficits in chronic alcoholics.

Abstract

Chronic alcohol abuse has been postulated to lead to brain dysfunction. Neuropsychological tests have indicated that alcohol affects some intellectual abilities more than others (Goodwin and Hill, 1975; Kleinknecht and Goldstein, 1972); specifically visuo-spatial and visual-motor skills are impaired, while verbal skills appear to remain intact. In addition, alcoholics are reported to have difficulty in tasks requiring abstract reasoning. They have difficulty extracting the relevant dimensions of a stimulus array, particularly if the relevance of these dimensions changes (Oscar-Berman, 1973; 1978) and hence they are known to perseverate dominant response tendencies. These characteristics have been reported in patients with frontal brain damage (Oscar-Berman, 1973; 1978; Parsons, 1975; Luria, 1966; 1973; Pribram, 1973; 1975).