Higher cortical dysfunction associated with long term alcoholism.

A number of studies during the past decade have described deficits associated with chronic alcoholism. Although several of these studies have used neuropsychological tests, no study has comprehensively surveyed all recognized neuropsychological skills in a single population. The present study compared 41 chronic alcoholics to 41 matched controls during a two-day battery of neuropsychological tests, including the Halstead-Reitan, Wechsler Memory Scale, and other major tests. It was hypothesized that tests reflecting right and anterior brain function would differentiate between the groups. A factor analysis of the tests which differentiated between the groups indicated five primary deficits in chronic alcoholism: spatial conceptual skills, associative conceptual skills, flexibility, spatial-motor integration, and serial integration. The last factor demonstrated a small but significant verbal loss in the alcoholics. The implications of these factors for understanding and treating chronic alcoholism were discussed.