26 Ss, mostly male, of mean age 56 years, who had been diagnosed independently by two psychiatrists as suffering from alcoholic dementia, were tested with WAIS and other psychological tests, and their maximum rate of information acceptance (MIA, Harwood & Naylor, 1969) was measured on two occasions separated by about six months. The pattern of WAIS subtest scores is found to be comparable with that reported for Korsakoff patients by Malerstein and Belden (1968) and also with that of extremely aged normal Ss described by Harwood and Naylor (1971). Values for MIA were consistent, but extremely low. Possible relationships between alcoholic dementia, normal old age, the Korsakoff syndrome and non-focal brain damage in the young are suggested.
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