Anterior brain deficits in chronic alcoholism - Cause or effect?

To investigate the hypothesis of anterior brain involvement in alcoholism, nonfamilial short-term drinkers (STD) and long-term drinkers (LTD) were assessed using neuropsychological tests commonly related to frontal lobe functions. Both STDs and LTDs were similarly impaired on measures of visually mediated concept formation and flexibility of thinking. Results from other time-constrained tests that required good concentration and immediate memory, visual scanning, and visual-motor coordination were significantly lower in the LTD group as compared with STDs. The data suggest a dual-factor hypothesis of anterior cerebral dysfunctions in alcoholism: a preexisting deficit in conceptual thinking and consequential CNS abnormality (psychomotor slowing, decreased attentiveness, and immediate memory) associated with prolonged alcohol intake, and resembling signs of premature aging.