Central and peripheral motor conduction time in chronic alcoholics with polyneuropathy and/or spasticity.

We measured central and peripheral motor conduction time to demonstrate lesions in the upper and lower motor neurons of 11 chronic alcoholics with polyneuropathy without spasticity, 7 chronic alcoholics with spasticity with and without alcoholic polyneuropathy, and 16 healthy volunteers as controls. Peripheral motor conduction time was significantly prolonged in all extremities in all of the chronic alcoholics, and was accompanied by a considerable reduction in motor conduction velocity. Central motor conduction time was considerably prolonged in the lower extremities of the alcoholics with spasticity compared with both the controls and the alcoholics without spasticity. Central motor conduction time in the patients with alcoholic polyneuropathy without spasticity was slightly prolonged in comparison with the controls, but not significantly. Based on the electrophysiological findings, we conclude that peripheral neuropathy is a lesion common to chronic alcoholics whether or not they have clinically evident polyneuropathy. Chronic alcoholics with spasticity have significantly longer central motor conduction time in the lower extremities. Spasticity in chronic alcoholics develops not independently but concomitantly with peripheral neuropathy, suggesting that peripheral neuropathy develops earlier than spasticity.