Population genetics studies suggest that genetic factors predispose sons of alcoholic fathers to alcoholism (for review, see Hesselbrock in press). Evidence indicates that characteristics of both the EEG and ERP are themselves genetically determined. For example, the heritability of P3 amplitude recently has been reported to be high for both visual (Porjesz et al. 1993) and auditory P3 (O’Connor et al. 1994).
