Auditory-evoked dipole source activity as indicator of withdrawal severity in alcoholic patients.

The relationship between auditory-evoked potentials and the ethanol withdrawal syndrome was investigated in alcoholic inpatients using dipole source analysis. It was found that the increase in N1/P2 amplitude during withdrawal was positively correlated to the general severity of the withdrawal, but not to single symptoms such as seizures. Monitoring of initial changes in the auditory-evoked N1/P2 amplitude may be of predictive value concerning the withdrawal severity of alcoholic patients.