Alcohol consumption, neuropsychological status and computer-tomographic findings in a random sample of men and women from the general population.

There was no correlation between reported amount of alcohol consumed on each drinking occasion per se and neuropsychological and neuroradiological signs of cerebral disorder in age-stratified random sample of 200 men and 200 women taken from the general population. Furthermore, moderate to heavy social drinking as assessed by an index based on amount of alcohol consumed on each drinking occasion and the responses to some other alcohol-habit questions was not associated with signs of cerebral disorder. Alcohol dependence, however, was associated with signs often diagnosed in alcoholic patients but milder in degree. There were indications of important differences between men and women with regard to the relationship between advanced alcohol-habits and cerebral disorder.