Alternatively, physiological measures of neural disinhibition have been studied extensively in the offspring of alcoholics. There is a long-established literature on differences in resting EEG in individuals at risk for AUD (reviewed by Porjesz et al. 2005). It has been suggested that low amplitude of event-related potentials (ERPs) and other event-related oscillations (EROs) in high risk children may reflect an overall reduction in central nervous system inhibition. P300 amplitude is one salient predictor of age of onset to begin drinking (Hill et al. 2000a). A consensus seems to have emerged that the amplitude of the P300 component of the ERP reflects a predisposition to have a disinhibited temperament that is related to risk for SUD (Iacono and McGue 2006; Porjesz and Rangaswamy 2007). However, the lower P300 amplitude associated with earlier onset to begin drinking may be associated with generalized disinhibition that is associated with early onset of a number of deviant behaviors (McGue et al. 2001a, b).
