Chronic alcoholism has been associated with abnormalities in cognitive, behavioral, and emotional functioning. Although these abnormalities may not be evident through superficial observation, neuropsychological tests have been able to illuminate the impairments (Leber and Parsons, 1982; Tivis et al., 1995; Clark et al., 2007; Rourke and Grant, 2009). Similarly, neuroimaging techniques have revealed reliable differences between alcoholic and nonalcoholic control groups in brain activation patterns and structural integrity, with the most vulnerable networks being the frontocerebellar system and mesocorticolimbic circuitry (Agartz et al., 1999; Makris et al., 2008; Fama et al., 2012; Chanraud et al., 2013). However, relatively few studies have demonstrated definitive and direct links between specific component neuropsychological impairments and measures of highly localized brain abnormalities.
