THE EFFECTS OF FAMILY HISTORY, SOBRIETY LENGTH, AND DRINKING HISTORY IN YOUNGER ALCOHOLICS ON P300 AUDITORY-EVOKED POTENTIALS

Event-related potentials (ERPs) have been shown to be different betwee n alcoholics and non-alcoholics. Of particular interest to investigato rs has been the P300 wave. Because it has been shown that alcohol-indu ced neural damage can alter P300 waves, particularly amplitude, we att empted to examine alcoholics who most likely suffered little damage be cause they drank heavily for relatively few years (mean = 6.9 years). The effects of long-term sobriety (mean = 5.0 years) were also investi gated to determine if cognitive functioning, as measured by auditory-e voked P300 waves, varies with increased abstinence. Because family his tory for alcoholism has also been shown to influence P300 amplitude an d latency, alcoholics and controls with and without family history wer e examined. The alcoholic group had significantly longer latencies in P300 measures in both the family history positive and negative groups; P300 amplitudes between alcoholics and non-alcoholics did not vary, r egardless of family history. P300 waves were unaffected by sobriety le ngth or drinking history. The results support the hypothesis that P300 differences can be seen between alcoholics and those at risk for alco holism.