Perfil neuropsicológico de alcohólicos con alta densidad familiar de alcoholismo tras abstinencia prolongada: hallazgos preliminares

Introduction: Research on cognitive functioning of alcoholics with family history of alcoholism (FH+) has obtained confused results, embedded perhaps for the neurotoxic effect of alcohol. To compare subjects when they are abstinent may avoid this problem. Objective: To determine the neuropsychological profile of FH+ alcoholics with more than three years of abstinence, with the aim to evaluate the presence and the nature of the neuropsychological damage. Material and methods: Sample was composed by one group of long-term abstinent acloholics with at least two first or second degree alcoholic relatives; and other group of control subjects without family history of alcoholism, matched on age, IQ, and level of education. The neuropsychological battery included tests to assess attention/memory, visuospatial abilities and executive function. Results: Alcoholics committed more perseverative responses on the WCST than Controls. There were no significant differences on other variables. Conclusions: These results suggest that long-term FH+ alcoholics show a neuropsychological performance similar to their normative group on attention/memory and visuospatial tasks. However, there is an important alteration on executive abilities, a finding consistent with the family alcoholism and high risk studies, which relate the family density to the premorbid difficulties on frontal function.