Gray Matter Volume And Propensity To Consume Alcohol

Research shows that alcohol consumption is closely related to the volume of gray matter in the brain, namely: alcohol consumption reduces it. It turns out, however, that this is not the end of the dependency. How the alcoholic’s brain differs from that of a non-addictive person is still an intensively studied issue. Recent studies indicate that decreased gray matter volume in the brain may be a kind of genetic risk factor for excessive alcohol consumption.

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The data, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, was based on three independent brain imaging studies. Scientists compared, inter alia, drinking behavior in siblings (including twins), studied the brains of people who had never had contact with alcohol, and analyzed genetic relationships, including postmortem observation of brain tissue.

Alcoholic’s BRAIN – volume Analysis

More alcohol consumption reduces the volume of gray matter in two areas of the brain – the middle prefrontal cortex and the so-called an island, i.e. the anatomical structure of the brain lying in the depth of the lateral groove, playing an important role in the processes of memory, cognitive control, decision-making and emotionality. However, studies also show that lower gray matter volume in the brain may be a risk factor for excessive alcohol use, and not just a consequence of alcohol consumption.

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Scientists analyzed, inter alia, the brains of two study groups – twins and non-twins – with different drinking experiences. When they compared siblings who consumed less alcohol to siblings who drank more, the latter actually had lower volumes of gray matter. Interestingly, however, the research found no difference in the brains of siblings in the same lineage (one family area), where one drank more alcohol than the other – in both cases their brains looked like those of those who drink alcohol excessively.

Recent Research Results

“Our study provides evidence that there are genetic factors that lead to both gray matter reduction and excessive alcohol consumption,” explains David Baranger, lead author of the study and former PhD student at the Brain Lab at Washington University in St. Louis, where the study was conducted. “These findings do not challenge the hypothesis that alcohol abuse may further reduce the amount of gray matter, but it does suggest that the volume of gray matter in the brain of a person who drinks more from the start may be at a lower level.” As he explained, information about the volume of the brain can therefore be a starting point or a “biological marker” associated with an increased propensity to consume alcohol.