The alcoholic phenotypes among different multidimensional typologies: similarities and their classification procedures.

Aim: This detailed cross-sectional analysis, obtained from a sample of alcohol-dependent patients, attempts to compare multiple methods that have been created to classify or subtype alcoholics.

Methods: The sample comprised 318 alcohol-dependent patients recruited from the alcoholism unit (NETER) of the Psychiatric Service of Santa Maria University Hospital in Lisbon (Portugal). All subjects were evaluated during the outpatient therapeutical programme for operationalized criteria, reported by each alcoholism typology.

Neuropsychological function and platelet monoamine oxidase activity levels in type I alcoholic patients.

Aims: To explore neuropsychological function in two differentiated patterns of platelet monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) activity in alcoholic patients.

Methods: Neuropsychological examination and platelet MAO B activity extracted from blood were collected from 42 alcohol-dependent patients recruited in the alcoholism unit (NETER) of the Psychiatric Service of Santa Maria University Hospital.

Results: Alcoholics presented significantly low levels of platelet MAO B activity, when compared with control subjects; platelet MAO B activity in alcoholics classified as "under average subgroup" showed significant lower scores in the Raven Progressive Matrix and higher scores in hostility dimension, when compared with platelet MAO B activity in "above average subgroup.