A caveat in this study is that the task may have been too easy to show group differences in task performance (accuracy was very high and did not differ between groups). Even with successful task performance, however, the brain activity differences persisted. Thus, we hypothesize that greater theta ERS may index compensatory mechanisms in alcoholics to overcome working memory and attention deficits – deficits that may partially recover with long-term abstinence. Furthermore, given the relationship between theta ERS and task demands, this compensatory mechanism may break down as task demands increase. Given these possibilities, and given theta ERS's relationship with memory and attentional processes, future research should more systematically examine how task demands affect differences between alcoholic and control groups in theta ERS, and in prestimulus theta activity, in order to refine our understanding of alcohol- and abstinence-related brain changes.
