Relative to controls, alcoholics displayed a non-significant trend (p = 0.055) to be more likely to be right handed (Crovitz and Zener 1962), had a higher (p = .025) body mass index (height cm/weight kg2, an index of nutritional status), and a lower (p = .017) performance intelligence quotient (IQ) derived from the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) (Wechsler 1997) than controls. They did not differ on measures of verbal or full-scale IQ (Wechsler 1997) or memory derived from the revised version of the Wechsler Memory Scale (Wechsler 1999), but were of slightly lower socioeconomic status (SES) (Hollingshead and Redlich 1958) and had modestly lower premorbid IQ, estimated with the National Adult Reading Test (Nelson 1982). Both groups performed well on the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (Mattis 1988), and no subject fell below the dementia cut-off. Descriptive statistics of these variables appear in Table 1
