Effects of chronic alcohol consumption in a visual attention task and an auditory oddball task: an event-related potential study.

Background: In alcohol-dependent individuals changes in brain functioning, as measured with Event Related Potentials (ERP) have been reported.
Methods: In the present study a visual attention and an auditory oddball task were used to investigate possible differences between light, moderate, and heavy social drinkers and excessive drinkers. It was hypothesized that with increasing alcohol intake an increasing number of ERP components elicited in the visual attention task and the auditory oddball task would show diminished amplitudes.
Results: No differences were found between light, moderate, and heavy social drinkers. A trend for a smaller P3 amplitude in the visual attention task was found when comparing the alcohol-dependent participants with the light social drinkers. It is argued that this difference might be an effect of alcohol dependence and/or a reflection of possible unknown or undetected family history of alcohol-related disturbances.
Conclusions: In the current study, even at rather large amounts of regular alcohol intake, no evidence was found for any toxic effect of social alcohol use neither in a visual attention task nor in an auditory oddball task.