Our findings in three different samples of adult alcoholics (in two independent samples of LTAA in Andrew and Fein 2010b; Gilmore and Fein 2012; and a sample of STAA in this study) are consistent with the proposition that larger theta ERS is an effect of alcohol exposure on the brain. Theta ERS decreased with duration of abstinence (although it was still higher relative to controls even with multiyear abstinent-treated alcoholics). The LTAA and STAA in this study did not differ with regard to their alcohol burden; the groups were comparable in their lifetime and peak severity of use and in their lifetime symptom counts of alcohol dependence and abuse. Furthermore, LTAA and STAA did not differ in their family history density of alcohol problems – a finding that is also consistent with our results showing that the two groups did not differ in the magnitude of the reduction of evoked theta power nor in levels of resting EEG theta power relative to controls, both of which measures have been shown to be genetically influenced (e.g., Tang et al. 2007a,b; Zlojutro
