Increased resting theta power in alcoholics has been reported in a number of studies in the literature (Propping et al., 1981; Pollock et al., 1992; Rangaswamy et al., 2003); no relationship between the length of abstinence and theta power was found (Pollock et al., 1992). However another study reported a decrease in theta power in female alcoholics (Propping et al., 1981). Elevated resting theta activity observed in the EEG of alcohol-dependent individuals is indicative of a dysfunctional neurophysiological status in these individuals. As suggested previously in this chapter, we can speculate that the increases of theta produced by the acute administration of alcohol in healthy individuals may subsequently evolve into a more pervasive increase in theta in chronic alcoholics following prolonged exposure. No strong evidence of increased resting theta has been reported in offspring of alcoholics, suggesting that this measure may index a state-dependent condition.
