Correlation between cognitive capacity screening examination and cognitive evoked potential in alcohol-dependent patients

The aim of this study was to verify the significance of cognitive evoked potentials and the correlation between the auditory event-related potential and the Cognitive Capacity Screening Examination (CCSE) in alcohol dependent patients. The P300 studies using an auditory paradigm were performed on 25 alcohol dependent patients, and then the results were compared with score of the CCSE. 1) The latencies of the P300 were significantly prolonged in the patient group compared with the control group, and the scores of CCSE were significantly reduced in the patient group compared with the control group (p < 0.05). 2) There were significant negative correlation between P300 latency and scores of the CCSE (p < 0.05, r= -0.774). 3) There were no significant correlation between P300 latency and the total amount of ethanol ingestion (p > 0.05). 4) There was significant reliability in P300 latency study (alpha=0.9771). These findings suggest that the latency of P300 may be useful as a clinical electrodiagnostic measurement that can objectively reflect cognitive dysfunction in alcohol dependent patients, and it can be used as a quantitative analysis of cognitive dysfunction even for early asymptomatic alcohol dependent patients.