Cerebral Deficits in Alcoholism: Proceedings of the International Symposium Held in Toronto, March 1979

Myrna I. Baker, B.Sc.N., M.Sc., lived and worked in Toronto.

As the title suggests, this book is a collection of research papers presented at an international symposium concerning alcohol-related cerebral deficits. More specifically it contains seven papers by prominent scientists from the United States and Canada and follows Alcohol, Drugs and Brain Damage (Addiction Research Foundation, Toronto, 1975) a publication from a previous symposium dealing with similar themes. D. Adrian Wilkinson, D. Phil., from the Addiction Research Foundation of Toronto, is the editor as well as author of two of the papers. In a brief foreword, Wilkinson explains that the symposium speakers were selected for the relevance of their current research in at least one of four areas of interest in the study of alcohol-related brain damage: 1) the etiology of alcohol-related brain damage; 2) methodological problems; 3) the prevalence of alcohol-related brain damage; and 4) recovery.

The subject matter is highly technical and the reader is exposed to many concepts used in epidemiology, neuropsychology, neurology, electro-physiology, and neurobiology. Space does not permit each paper to be reviewed individually; however, as a whole they are well written and report sound research. The methodological problems encountered in the studies are delineated, the reviews of relevant literature are up to date, the results are presented in a clear and concise manner, and the discussion of findings invariably leads to suggested directions for further research.

An important item which this reader feels is missing from the publication is a concluding chapter which summarizes the main points and ties the seven papers together in terms of the state of the art with respect to cerebral deficits in alcoholism. Nevertheless, the symposium participants have indeed succeeded in addressing the scientific scope, the interest, the state of knowledge, and the potential importance of the study of alcohol-related brain damage.