The application of electrophysiology to research in alcoholism

Recent findings from the application of electrophysiologic measurement techniques to research in alcoholism are reviewed. Computerized electroencephalography has detected subtle but significant differences in the information processing abilities of alcohol research subjects compared to control subjects. The differences may reflect the effects of a paternal history of alcoholism; the effects of acute, progressive, and chronic alcohol use; or the effects of abstinence following dependence on ethanol. Because they are revealed in several paradigms and across stimulus modalities, the electrophysiologic findings are robust. The results are clearest in response to visual stimuli and in tasks requiring active attention and evaluation of stimulus properties. Methodological and technical problems associated with the research are also reviewed.