Special Section

YOHMAN, J.R., AND PARSONS, O.A. Verbal reasoning deficits in alcoholics. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases 175:219–223, 1987. Children of alcoholics (COA’s) are at higher risk than the general population for developing alcoholism.1 Evidence suggests that this risk is influenced by genetic factors (Hesselbrock 1995). Researchers have identified several biological traits that appear to be genetically transmitted along with vulnerability to alcoholism. These traits can serve as markers to identify persons at risk and can provide valuable information on the development of alcohol use disorders. Because the processes of addiction occur largely in the brain, many studies have investigated various measures of brain function. Much of this research has focused on the brain’s electrical activity. Brain function can be assessed using event-related potentials (ERP’s), a special application of the electroencephalogram