Auditory effects of chronic alcoholism.

Clinical reports of hearing loss, tinnitus, and auditory hallucinations, as well as empirical studies of auditory phenomena, have sparked interest in the auditory effects of chronic alcoholism. The auditory system, owing to its multi-synaptic course through the central nervous system and to the many techniques available for diagnostic evaluation, affords a special opportunity for examination of transmission breakdown in alcoholics. The present paper reviews several different approaches to the study of disrupted hearing: histologic evidence: threshold measurement, evoked potential data; acoustic reflex studies; and behavioral central auditory evaluation. The review explores effects attributed to both peripheral and central loci, and outlines the ramifications for research and treatment.