title: The alcohol paradox: light-to-moderate alcohol consumption, cognitive function, and brain volume.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies of older persons show consumption of light-to-moderate amounts of alcohol is positively associated with cognitive function and, separately, is negatively associated with total brain volume (TBV). This is paradoxical as generally, cognitive function is positively associated with TBV. We examined the relationships of TBV, global cognitive function (GCF), and alcohol consumption in a population-based cohort of 3,363 men and women (b. 1907-1935) participating in the Age Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study (2002-2006) and who were free of dementia or mild cognitive impairment
  
  
  METHODS
  Drinking status (never, former, and current) and current amount of alcohol consumed were assessed by questionnaire. GCF is a composite score derived from a battery of cognitive tests. TBV, standardized to head size, is estimated quantitatively from brain magnetic resonance imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among women and not men, adjusting for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors, current drinkers had significantly higher GCF scores than abstainers and former drinkers (p < .0001); and GCF was associated with amount consumed. TBV was not associated with drinking status or amount consumed in men or women. GCF and TBV did significantly differ in their associations across alcohol categories (p interaction < .001). Within categories of alcohol intake, GCF and TBV were positively associated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The difference in associations of alcohol intake to brain structure and function suggests there may be unmeasured factors that contribute to maintaining better GCF relative to TBV. However, at higher levels of reasonable alcohol consumption, there may be factors leading to reduced brain volume.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Benjamin J K
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Jean-Sebastian
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Icelandic Heart Association, Kopavogur, Iceland. Centre of Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik.
authors.forename: Thor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aspelund
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: van Buchem
authors.affiliation: Icelandic Heart Association, Kopavogur, Iceland. Faculty of Psychology, University of Iceland, Reykjavik. Geriatric Research Centre in Landsptiali, The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik.
authors.forename: Maria K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Jonsdottir
authors.affiliation: Icelandic Heart Association, Kopavogur, Iceland.
authors.forename: Sigurdur
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sigurdsson
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Tamara B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Centre of Public Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik. Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik.
authors.forename: Vilmundur
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gudnason
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. launerl@nia.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Lenore J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Launer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015994:Incidence; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Alcohol consumption; Brain aging; Cognitive aging.; Epidemiology; Imaging