“…This is supported by other data on inborn cognitive ability and a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. However, cog nitive and in particular psychomotor dysfunction, identi cal to that in alcoholics, is observed in the absence of alco holism in high-risk subjects: in sons of alcoholic fathers [16,17], subjects with an antisocial personality disorder [18] , or those with a residual attention deficit disorder [19] . However, although cognitive dysfunction may revert to normal following abstinence, recovery is rarely com plete and the residual dysfunction is usually psychomotor [20] , hence the hypothesis that frontal cognitive dysfunc tion is a predisposing factor for all 'behavioral disinhibition' syndromes, including alcohol abuse [21], Four two reasons, data on the frequency of cognitive dysfunction in alcoholics vary between studies: not only do study populations differ with respect to alcohol charac teristics and risk factors, but some studies have been con ducted less than 4 weeks after alcohol withdrawal, when the somatic, mood and emotional repercussions of with drawal may still be compounding and/or modifying pre existing cognitive dysfunction, whereas other studies have been conducted after a fairly prolonged period of absti nence, allowing for the recovery of some of the dysfunc tion caused by the direct effects of alcohol on the central nervous system.…”