A total of 52 patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of alcohol dependence syndrome underwent successful detoxification. Two to three weeks later they were examined for the presence of abnormal involuntary movements and rated with the abnormal involuntary movements scale (AIMS). They were also assessed with subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-R), namely, visual reproduction from memory, digit symbols substitution and the vocabulary test. Twenty-nine had evidence of orofacial dyskinesia and the presence of such movements was strongly associated with visuospatial deficits.