Blackouts: relationship with memory capacity and alcoholism history.
Male alcoholic inpatients with a high incidence of memory blackouts did not differ on several memory measures from subjects with a low incidence of blackouts. Alcoholism chronicity also did not differentiate between subjects on the Wechsler Memory Scale, tests of storage and decay of a memory trace, and maintenance of a concept along a temporal continuum. A history of blackouts was, however, related to drinking pattern. High-incidence subjects reported a significantly greater frequency of drinking to intoxication or until falling asleep, craving a drink, and increased tolerance to alcohol.
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D000647:Amnesia / Q000209:etiology*; D000648:Amnesia, Retrograde / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D013997:Time Factors; D014888:Wechsler Scales