Citation

Niederberger U, Wenzel R, Gerber WD, Kropp P, Strenge H, Paulsen G. Blutalkohol 1997; 34(1): 66-83.

Affiliation

Inst. fur Medizinische Psychologie, Zentrum fur Nervenheilkunde, CAU, 24105 Kiel, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and Bund gegen Alkohol und Drogen im Straßenverkehr, Publisher Steintor Verlag)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The study examines the influence of chronic alcohol abuse on movement-related brain potentials and their use in driver aptitude diagnostics. We examined 56 drivers (51 males, 5 females, with an average age of 42 years) who lost their driving licences due to drink driving after having been controlled by police officers between one and four times. In order to have their licences regranted they had to submit themselves to medical-psychological examinations due to the fact that they were repeated offenders or that their offence was considered to be of particular severity. This included, in addition to the evaluation of the record kept by the driving licence issuers, behavioural observations, standardised neurophysical performance tests, as well as a neurological internist examination carried out by a doctor specialising in internal diseases. The outcome showed that individuals with a reduced amplitude of readiness potential are often regarded as chronic alcohol abusers. In addition, they show remarkable internal, neurological and psychological findings. There was a significant relationship between the individual test results and the amplitude of the readiness potential with particular reference to the performance in tests of reaction time and psychomotoric functions and the enzyme activity of the liver as well as the number of drink driving offences. We conclude that typical signs of alcohol abuse are correlated with a reduced amplitude of the motor readiness potential. This implies a reduced psychophysical performance which would put the safe driving of a vehicle in question and would therefore justify the further revocation of driving licences to these individuals.