Alcoholism, antisocial personality, narcotic addiction: an integrative approach.

Individuals with early onset antisocial behavior appear to be more susceptible to serious substance abuse than those without. Individuals with deviant behavior exhibit both neuropsychological and neurophysiological deficits. With respect to alcoholism these deficits appear to antedate pathological exposure and appear to be transmissible from one generation to another. Subcortical dysfunction has been hypothesized to contribute to the behavioral disorders; however, the exact nature of the dysfunction and the contributions of genetic and environmental factors need exploration. A simple model for the association between behavior and neurochemistry is presented.