title: Both global gray matter volume and regional gray matter volume negatively correlate with lifetime alcohol intake in non-alcohol-dependent Japanese men: a volumetric analysis and a voxel-based morphometry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Non-alcohol-dependent heavy drinkers, as well as alcohol-dependent individuals, show brain atrophy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there are correlations between global and regional gray matter volumes and the lifetime alcohol intake using volumetric analysis and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) among Japanese non-alcohol-dependent male individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  High-resolution three-dimensional magnetic resonance images were acquired from 405 Japanese non-alcohol-dependent male individuals. The collected images were normalized, segmented for volumetric analysis, and additionally smoothed for VBM. For volumetric analysis, the partial correlation coefficient was estimated between the gray matter ratio, which represents the percentage of gray matter volume in the intracranial volume, and the lifetime alcohol intake adjusted for the age of each subject. Multiple regression analysis was performed among regional gray matter volume, lifetime alcohol intake, and age using VBM.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Volumetric analysis revealed that gray matter ratio showed a negative correlation with the lifetime alcohol intake adjusted for age (p=0.059, partial correlation coefficient=-0.091). The VBM revealed that the gray matter volumes of the bilateral middle frontal gyri showed a significant negative correlation with the lifetime alcohol intake adjusted for age and systolic blood pressure (left side, p=0.006, Z=4.77; right side, p=0.023, Z=4.45, and p=0.046, Z=4.27).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that non-alcohol-dependent Japanese male individuals show that both global gray matter volume and regional gray matter volume have negative correlations with the lifetime alcohol intake. Our study may contribute to clarifying the mechanism underlying the brain structural changes because of alcohol influence in healthy non-alcohol-dependent individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. ytaki@idac.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Taki
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kinomura
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Ryoi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Ryuta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007564:Japan; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol