Minimal brain dysfunction symptoms claimed by primary and secondary alcoholics: Relation to cognitive functioning

Abstract

A group of chronic alcoholics were classified as Primary or Secondary alcoholics according to a self-administering questionnaire. Primary, compared to Secondary, alcoholics claimed a significantly higher number of childhood symptoms associated with the Hyperkinetic and/or the Minimal Brain Dysfunction (Hk/MBD) Syndromes. Primary alcoholics also performed significantly poorer on the Shipley and Raven tests than Secondary alcoholics and had more severe alcoholic dependence scores. High Hk/MBD patients performed more poorly than Low Hk/MBD patients on the Shipley and Raven tests. The results support the hypothesis that a childhood history of Hk/MBD might be a predisposing factor to a more severe type of alcoholism. The results also suggest that certain alcoholics may have premorbid deficits in cognitive functions.