RT Journal Article
T1 Visual P3a in Male Subjects at High Risk for Alcoholism
A1 Rodríguez Holguín, Socorro
A1 Porjesz, Bernice
A1 Chorlian, David B.
A1 Polich, John
A1 Begleiter, Henri
K1 Alcoholism
K1 High-risk males
K1 Visual eventrelated potentials (ERPs)
K1 P300
K1 P3a
K1 Current source density
AB Background: Voltage of the P300 component of eventrelatedpotentials (ERPs) has been proposed as a phenotypicmarker of risk for alcoholism. P3a elicited byintrusive events is important in the context of deficits ininhibition found during psychophysiological and behavioralevaluations in children of alcoholics.Methods: ERPs were recorded from a group of adultchildren of alcoholics (n 5 26) and controls (n 5 23) witha three-stimulus visual oddball paradigm. The task requireda difficult perceptual discrimination between afrequent (.80) vertical line and an infrequent (.10) 2° tiltedline (target). An easily discriminable nontarget infrequenthorizontal line also occurred (.10). Subjects were requiredto press a button to the target. P3a was compared usingmixed-model ANCOVAs at 31 sites organized in 5 scalpregions. Current source density (CSD) maps were alsoanalyzed.Results: High-risk (HR) subjects manifested reduced P3aamplitudes compared to controls at frontal, central, parietal,and temporal electrodes. CSD analyses supportedthese findings with group differences found for all thescalp regions.Conclusions: The results are discussed in relation toprevious HR studies. P3a reductions may be related todeficits in neuronal inhibition during stimulus processing.These results suggest that P3a amplitude may be importantas a marker for vulnerability to alcoholism.
PB Elsevier
SN 0006-3223
YR 1999
FD 1999
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10347/23211
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10347/23211
LA eng
NO Rodríguez Holguín, S.; Porjesz, B.; Chorlian, D.B.; Polich, J.; Begleiter, H.(1999). Visual P3a in male subjects at high risk for alcoholism.Biological Psychiatry, 46, 281-291. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3223(98)00247-9
NO This research was supported by NIH Grants AA08401 and AA08403. Dr. Holguin is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York Health Science Center, supported by the Galician Government Research Authority (DOG 08/26/1997)
DS Minerva
RD 4 may 2026