A Neurophysiological Study of Psychiatric Patients with Alcoholism

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Abstract
The sedation threshold, which is the amount of sodium amytal required to produce certain EEG and speech changes, was previously shown to be correlated with several important psychiatric variables, such as manifest anxiety. The present study was carried out to determine the sedation threshold findings in psychiatric patients with alcoholism. The thresholds of 40 psychiatric patients with alcoholism were compared with those of 290 nonalcoholic patients. In the alcoholics the relationship between the threshold and the following variables was determined: (a) evidence of organic cerebral and hepatic impairment, as indicated by psychiatric examination, psychological tests, EEG, physical examination, and liver functions tests; (b) psychiatric diagnosis; degree of affective disturbance or dysphoria assessed clinically; reason for hospitalization. Sedation thresholds were essentially the same in alcoholic and nonalcoholic patients. Signs of organic im- pairment, which occurred in 40% of alooholics, were associated with lower sedation thresholds. The greater the degree of dysphoria, the higher the sedation threshold. Patients hospitalized mainly due to external pressures had lower thresholds than patients hospitalized because of internal pressures. The relationship between threshold and psychiatric diagnosis was about the same in alcoholics as in non- alcoholics. It was concluded that: (a) sedation threshold findings in psychiatric patients with alcoholism were no different from those in nonalcoholic patients, (b) psychological factors correlated with the threshold were the same in alcoholics as in nonalcoholics, and (c) no evidence was obtained of increased barbiturate tolerance in association with alcoholism.

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