COGNITIVE FUNCTION, CARDIOVASCULAR REACTIVITY, AND BEHAVIOR IN BOYS AT HIGH-RISK FOR ALCOHOLISM

Boys (average age = 12.1 years) from families with an extensive histor y of paternal alcoholism differed from controls of similar age and IQ on measures of cognitive function, cardiovascular reactivity, and pare nt-rated conduct problems. High-risk boys performed most poorly on neu ropsychological tests of frontal lobe function. According to tests of temporal organization and conditional-associate learning, control over working memory was the frontal subfunction primarily affected. A ment al arithmetic task also elicited greater heart rate increases and peri pheral vasoconstriction among high-risk boys than among controls. Afte r controlling for group status, significant correlations remained betw een frontal lobe test scores and disruptive behavior and between cardi ovascular hyperreactivity and anxiety levels. The possible contributio n of these findings to alcohol abuse was discussed.