Post-withdrawal changes in middle-latency auditory evoked potentials in abstinent human alcoholics.
We investigated the effects of chronic alcoholism on middle-latency auditory evoked potentials (MAEP) in 14 male alcoholics with 1-6 weeks of abstinence (without other severe disorders) and 13 age-matched male social-drinker controls. The peak amplitude of a positive deflection (Pa) of the MAEP, peaking at about 30 ms post-stimulus, was significantly larger in the alcoholics than in the controls (P < 0.01), and notably, a significant negative correlation (r = -0.65) was observed between the Pa amplitude and duration of abstinence in the alcoholics. The present results suggest that the post-withdrawal brain hyperexcitability in the alcoholic brain, gradually recovering with abstinence, could be objectively and non-invasively studied with the MAEP.
Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland. jyrki.ahveninen@helsinki.fi
J
J
Ahveninen
I P
IP
Jääskeläinen
E
E
Pekkonen
A
A
Hallberg
M
M
Hietanen
R
R
Näätänen
P
P
Sillanaukee
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013695:Temperance