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Visual Evoked Potentials in Chronic Alcoholics

Visual evoked potentials(VEP) were recorded on 24 male chronic alcoholics and 20 normal male controls. Alcoholic patients met the criteria of the DSM-III-R for alcoholism, with a mean age 45 years and drinking history for an average o f 21 years. Control-subjects were ate matched male volunteers free of medical problems. The results were as follows ; 1) Mean latency and mean amplitude of Pioo were 98.35士 3.33ms, 8.61± 2.54(iV in control group, and 102土 6.76ms, 5.22士 2.28|iV in alcohol group. The statistical analyses o f above results using two-tailed t-test indicate that mean latency o f Pioo(p〈0.01) was significantly prolonged and mean amplitude of Pioo(p〈0.01) was significantly decreased in alcoholic group compared to control group. 2) Of the 24 patients，6(25%) had abnormal VEP. There were 5 patients with abnormally prolonged latency (above mean latency of control group+2.5SD) of Pioo，and 1 with abnormally prologed interocular latency difference( above mean IL D of control group+2.5SD) only. Of the 5 patients with abnormally prolonged latency of Pioo, 3 had both of the abnormalities. These findings provide the possibility for pathological involvement of th visual pathway in chronic alcholics. And so the suthors suggest that VEP may be useful in detection of the early stage of alcohol induced brain damage.