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A study of event‐related potential—P3 characteristics in children of alcoholics
Author(s) -
SHARMA AVNEET,
MALHOTRA SAVITA,
RAGHUNATHAN MURUGESCHACHETTY,
MALHOTRA ANIL
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
addiction biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.445
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1369-1600
pISSN - 1355-6215
DOI - 10.1080/13556219772480
Subject(s) - event related potential , event (particle physics) , psychology , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , physics , electroencephalography , quantum mechanics
Abstract Auditory P3 characteristics were studied in children (aged 8‐14 years) of male alcoholics without psychiatric problems and children of normal parents employing an oddball auditory paradigm. All the children of alcoholics were from families with multiple cases of alcoholism (each child had an average of 4.3 first‐ and second‐degree relatives including the father, meeting criteria for alcoholism). Subjects were presented with high and low pitched tones with global probabilities of 25% and 75% of total trials, respectively. The amplitude of P3 component was significantly reduced in high‐risk children ( p < 0.001). Implications of the findings, including the role of P3 as biologi cal marker of risk for alcoholism, are discussed.