This review will focus on the effects of alcohol on brain function using non-invasive electrophysiological techniques described above (EEG, ERP, ERO), and will be restricted to measures that have proved most significant for the study of AUDs; it will be divided into four main sections: The first will examine the effects of acute doses of alcohol on brain function in social drinkers, and will include studies comparing those with a family history of alcoholism to those without a family history. The second section will address the newer studies dealing with the effects of binge drinking on brain function. The third section will review studies on chronic effects of alcohol on brain function, and will try and tease apart electrophysiological indices of brain dysfunction that antecede the development of AUDs from those that are a consequence of AUDs. The fourth section will discuss the use of these electrophysiological measures as endophenotypes for the development of AUDs and will review results with specific genes that have been identified with these methods.
