title: Afferent information processing in patients with chronic alcoholism. An evoked potential study.
abstract: Visual evoked potentials (VEP), median nerve sensory conduction velocity (SNCV) as well as sensory evoked potentials (SEP), and brainstem acoustic evoked potentials (BAEP) were investigated on both sides in 40 patients with chronic alcoholism (mean age 37 years) without clinical signs of alcohol-induced central nervous system lesions. The results were compared to those obtained in 40 normal controls (mean age 32 years). In both groups, the parameters were analysed by means of both dependence and interdependence statistics. Dependence statistics (ANOVA) revealed significant differences between both groups. In 70% of the patients, at least one pathological parameter (greater than mean +/- 2.5 SD) was found; about 38% of the patients had two or more pathological values. Most pathological parameters were observed with BAEP testing (45% of patients) followed by SNCV (33%), median nerve SEP (30%), and VEP (10%). No significant clustering of pathological parameters was found in certain patients. By means of interdependence statistics, evidence is presented for a disturbance of sensory processing in the brainstem auditory pathways of the patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Göttingen, FRG.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Meinck
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Räder
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wieditz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Adler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000503:physiopathology; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged