Predictors of neuropsychological impairment in alcoholics: antisocial versus nonantisocial subtypes.

The role of demographic, perinatal/developmental, and acquired subject characteristics in determining neuropsychological (NP) performance was investigated in 22 alcoholics with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and 84 non-ASPD alcoholics. Results of stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that in ASPD subjects, poor NP performance was predicted by less education, childhood symptoms of Conduct Disorder, drinks per drinking day, and history of head injury, accounting for 80% of the explained variance (p < .0001). In non-ASPD subjects, NP performance was predicted by self-reported history of diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder, Verbal Learning Disability, and symptoms of Nonverbal Learning Disability, accounting for 24% of the explained variance (p < .0001). These results suggest the presence of potentially different lifelong paths to NP impairment among ASPD and non-ASPD alcoholics. Further exploration of the multivariate predictors of neuropsychological performance in subgroups of alcoholics is warranted.