ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

这项研究的目的是检测隐藏在大脑中的大脑过程， 认知和表现，以及急性和慢性 乙醇对这些过程的影响。 包括一项广泛的研究， 我们正在研究具有不同 家族酗酒史 这些研究的一个主要重点是 脑电位的测量， 关于组成感觉、认知的时间和特征， 和运动元素，它们是可观察行为的基础机制。 对脑电位的研究还允许推断特定的 受乙醇影响的大脑区域。 脑电位是 在广泛的背景下研究提供的性能和心理测量 数据和其他心理生理反应系统中的测量。 我们已经获得的数据记录了大量的急性和慢性 乙醇对特定脑功能的影响，从感觉输入 运动控制功能。 特别令人感兴趣的是一个发现， 大脑的电和自主信号的警觉和定向是 与其对大多数其他植物的抑制作用相反， 功能协调发展的 在一个慢性的 酗酒器质性脑功能紊乱的病人 这些发现表明， 酒精中毒和酒精性器质性脑病可能与 与定向过程的解除抑制或解除管制有关。

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 ethanol. 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 ethanol 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 ethanol, 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 ethanol intoxication and alcoholic organic brain disease may be associated with a disinhibition or deregulation of orienting processes.