Adolescent sons of alcoholics and nonalcoholics were compared on a battery of intellectual, neuropsychological, personality, and behavioral measures. The former group demonstrated certain neuropsychological deficits in perceptual-motor ability, memory, and language processing. They also had auditory and visual attentional impairments and a lower level of achievement in reading comprehension. In addition, the sons of alcoholics presented a more neurotic personality profile than sons of nonalcoholics. They were, however, less impulsive than the comparison group. More development and familial problems were noted in the alcoholics' offspring as well. The implications of these findings for understanding the causes and consequences of alcoholism are discussed.

It has been hypothesized that the right hemisphere ages more rapidly than the left, but there have been no direct empirical studies aimed at confirmation of that hypothesis. Within the framework of a cross-sectional design, 1,247 subjects, divided into six age groups (20's-70's), were tested with a modified Halstead-Reitan battery. The test scores were analyzed with the Russell, Neuringer, and Goldstein localization key, with each case being evaluated for number of right- and left-hemisphere points. It was found that there was a significant increase in right-hemisphere points with age, with a significant, but less pronounced, effect for left-hemisphere points. The same effect was found in a subsample of nonbrain-damaged medical and psychiatric patients. It was also established on the basis of neurological diagnostic evidence that there was not a coincidental increase in structural lateralized brain damage with age in the present sample. The results were discussed in terms of possible differences in functional organization of the two hemispheres, the general conclusion being that the right hemisphere ages in a different manner than does the left.

A series of studies was performed with the general aim of evaluating the usefulness of the Halstead Neuropsychological Test Battery with a neuropsychiatric population. Factor analysis of the battery showed that it measured language, perceptual, complex problem-solving, and motor skills. Utilizing stepwise discriminant analysis the battery discriminated between brain-damaged and non-brain-damaged Ss at a statistically significant level. However, a simpler index, the Average Impairment Rating, did as well in terms of percentage of correct classifications. Also, through the use of stepwise multiple discriminant analysis, the battery discriminated among Ss with lateralized, diffuse and no brain damage at statistically significant levels, with the exception that it could not discriminate between Ss with right-hemisphere lesions and those with diffuse lesions.

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