Reversible brain shrinkage in abstinent alcoholics, measured by MRI.
Magnetic resonance imaging of the intracranial CSF volume was compared before and after 5 weeks of confirmed abstinence in 9 alcohol-dependent patients. All patients showed a highly significant reduction in CSF volume in accordance with reexpansion of the brain after alcohol abstinence. T2 values for white matter, estimated by linear regression from 16 echoes of a CPGM sequence, however, showed no significant increase such as occurs in rehydration. This indicates, that alcohol-induced reversible brain atrophy cannot be attributed to fluctuation of free water in the brain only.
Schroth
G
G
Department of Neuroradiology, University of Tübingen, Federal Republic of Germany.
Naegele
T
T
Klose
U
U
Mann
K
K
Petersen
D
D
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D001284:Atrophy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D013695:Temperance