Características neuropsicológicas de los sujetos de alto riesgo al alcoholismo: en busca de marcadores de vulnerabilidad familiar

Resum

This article reviews studies of high risk of alcoholism which have examined neuropsychological characteristics in children of alcoholics, with the aim of examining family vulnerability to this disorder. The most consistent results come from studies with young children of alcoholics; they reveal differences in specific areas of cognitive functioning between children with and without a family history of alcoholism, particularly when alcoholic fathers manifest severe forms of the disorder. The differences are observed in the performance of attentional, visuospatial and frontal tests.