ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

这项研究的目的是发现隐蔽的大脑过程 人类受试者的认知和行为，以及急性和慢性 乙醇对这类过程的影响。其中包括一项广泛的研究 我们正在研究患有不同疾病的人的大脑过程 有酗酒家族史。这些研究的一个主要焦点是 脑电势的测量，它提供信息 关于组成感官的时间和特征，认知 以及运动元素，这些元素是可观察行为背后的机制。 对大脑电位的研究也可以推断出特定的 受酒精影响的大脑区域。脑电势是 在绩效和心理测量学提供的广泛背景下进行研究 数据，以及其他心理生理反应系统内的测量。 我们已经获得了记录大量急性和慢性疾病的数据 酒精对特定大脑功能的影响，包括感觉输入 以实现电机控制功能。特别令人感兴趣的是一项发现 脑电和自主神经的警觉和定向标志是 被酒精增强，与它对其他大多数人的抑制作用相反 功能。在慢性精神分裂症的样本中也观察到了类似的效果。 酗酒的器质性脑部疾病患者。这些发现表明， 酒精中毒与酒精性器质性脑病可能相关 通过解除对定向过程的抑制或放松管制。

The aim of this study is to detect covert brain processes that underlie cognition and performance in human subjects, and the acute and chronic effects of ethanol upon such processes. Included is an extensive study in which we are examining brain processes in individuals with different family histories of alcoholism. A principal focus of these studies is the measurement of brain electrical potentials, which provide information regarding the timing and character of the constituent sensory, cognitive and motor elements that are the mechanisms underlying observable behavior. The study of the brain potentials also allows inference of the specific brain regions affected by alcohol. The brain electrical potentials are studied within a broad context provided by performance and psychometric data, and measurement within other psychophysiological response systems. We have obtained data which document a large number of acute and chronic effects of alcohol on specific brain functions, ranging from sensory input to motor control functions. Of particular interest is a finding that brain electrical and autonomic signs of alerting and orienting are enhanced by alcohol, in contrast to its depressant effect on most other functions. A similar effect was observed in a sample of chronic alcoholic, organic brain disorder patients. Such findings suggest that alcohol intoxication and alcoholic organic brain disease may be associated with a disinhibition or deregulation of orienting processes.