Effects of Alcoholism and Continued Abstinence on Brain Volumes in Both Genders

Demirakça, Traute; Ende, Gabriele; Kämmerer, Nina; Welzel-Marquez, Helga; Hermann, Derik; Heinz, Andreas; Mann, Karl

doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2011.01514.x

Cited by 94 publications

(131 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…However, this topic remains controversial (for a review, see Hommer, 2003). A recent voxel-based morphometry study reported no significant gender Â diagnosis interactions for global and regional (including insula) brain volumes, or voxel-based morphometry results (Demirakca et al, 2011). Similarly, our analysis did not find differential effects of gender on the insula volume in ADPs versus healthy volunteers.…”

Section: Limitationssupporting

confidence: 31%

“…In our primary analysis, we excluded these participants and found a significant difference in insula and amygdala volumes between healthy volunteers and ADPs. However, previous studies have shown that a highly significant portion of insula volume is recovered after 3 months of abstinence from alcohol (Demirakca et al, 2011). Therefore, we included these four healthy volunteers in the reanalysis to increase the power of the outcome.…”

Section: Insular Cortex Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Little is known, however, about potential structural pathology of the insular cortex in alcoholism. One study reported altered shape of the insula in alcoholic patients (Jung et al, 2007), and several others, including our own previous report, found that alcoholism is associated with decreased volume and cortical thickness (Momenan et al, 2012) of the right insula and decreased grey matter volume of bilateral insula (Demirakca et al, 2011). Here, we sought to further investigate these findings by carrying out a volumetric analysis of the insular cortex, with a specific interest in the anterior insula, in recently detoxified alcohol-dependent patients (ADPs).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reduced anterior insula, enlarged amygdala in alcoholism and associated depleted von Economo neurons

Senatorov

Damadzic

Mann

et al. 2014

Brain

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The insula, a structure involved in higher order representation of interoceptive states, has recently been implicated in drug craving and social stress. Here, we performed brain magnetic resonance imaging to measure volumes of the insula and amygdala, a structure with reciprocal insular connections, in 26 alcohol-dependent patients and 24 healthy volunteers (aged 22-56 years, nine females in each group). We used an established morphometry method to quantify total and regional insular volumes. Volumetric measurements of the amygdala were obtained using a model-based segmentation/registration tool. In alcohol-dependent patients, anterior insula volumes were bilaterally reduced compared to healthy volunteers (left by 10%, right by 11%, normalized to total brain volumes). Furthermore, alcohol-dependent patients, compared with healthy volunteers, had bilaterally increased amygdala volumes. The left amygdala was increased by 28% and the right by 29%, normalized to total brain volumes. Postmortem studies of the anterior insula showed that the reduced anterior insular volume may be associated with a population of von Economo neurons, which were 60% diminished in subjects with a history of alcoholism (n = 6) as compared to subjects without a history of alcoholism (n = 6) (aged 32-56 years, all males). The pattern of neuroanatomical change observed in our alcoholdependent patients might result in a loss of top-down control of amygdala function, potentially contributing to impaired social cognition as well as an inability to control negatively reinforced alcohol seeking and use.

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Section: Limitationssupporting

confidence: 31%

Section: Insular Cortex Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reduced anterior insula, enlarged amygdala in alcoholism and associated depleted von Economo neurons

Senatorov

Damadzic

Mann

et al. 2014

Brain

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“…Animal studies, also, have shown that myelin sheaths are affected by chronic alcohol consumption [55] and white matter loss has been reported in several studies of alcoholic patients [12,21,22,56].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recreational alcohol use induces changes in the concentrations of choline-containing compounds and total creatine in the brain: a 1H MRS study of healthy subjects

Tunc-Skarka

Weber‐Fahr

2015

Magn Reson Mater Phy

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“…Notably, abstinent alcohol-dependent individuals show a partial regeneration of brain volume changes, even during early abstinence [8][9][10] . Brain volume regeneration appears to be greater during the first several weeks compared to continued long-term abstinence [10,11] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal Mapping of Gyral and Sulcal Patterns of Cortical Thickness and Brain Volume Regain during Early Alcohol Abstinence

Wang¹,

Demirakça²,

Eijk³

et al. 2015

Eur Addict Res

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We explored brain volume recovery in terms of cortical thickness (CTh; gyral, sulcal pattern) and surface area (SA), as well as subcortical volume recovery in the first 2 weeks of abstinence in 49 alcohol-dependent patients (ADPs). A widespread reduction of CTh in ADPs at day 1 of abstinence compared to healthy controls, with more pronounced differences in sulci relative to gyri was found. After 2 weeks of abstinence, partial recovery to varying degrees of CTh loss in ADPs was observed for several regions. The longitudinal CTh changes were greater in sulci than in gyri of affected regions. No longitudinal change in SAs and subcortical volumes was found. Alterations of CTh contribute to brain volume loss in alcoholism and recovery during early abstinence. Sulci seem to be more vulnerable to excessive alcohol consumption and to drive abstinence-induced volume recovery. During the initial 2 weeks of abstinence no subcortical volume regain was observed. Either the time span was too short or the lower subcortical volume could represent a predisposing trait marker.

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Effects of Alcoholism and Continued Abstinence on Brain Volumes in Both Genders

Abstract: Our study confirms widespread cerebral volume loss in recently detoxified alcoholics. The effects of alcohol dependence seem to have equally adverse effects on brain morphometry in males and females.

Cited by 94 publications

References 29 publications

Reduced anterior insula, enlarged amygdala in alcoholism and associated depleted von Economo neurons

Reduced anterior insula, enlarged amygdala in alcoholism and associated depleted von Economo neurons

Recreational alcohol use induces changes in the concentrations of choline-containing compounds and total creatine in the brain: a 1H MRS study of healthy subjects

Longitudinal Mapping of Gyral and Sulcal Patterns of Cortical Thickness and Brain Volume Regain during Early Alcohol Abstinence

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