title: Alcohol consumption during adolescence is associated with reduced grey matter volumes.
abstract: Cognitive impairment has been associated with excessive alcohol use, but its neural basis is poorly understood. Chronic excessive alcohol use in adolescence may lead to neuronal loss and volumetric changes in the brain. Our objective was to compare the grey matter volumes of heavy- and light-drinking adolescents.
  
  
  
  This was a longitudinal study: heavy-drinking adolescents without an alcohol use disorder and their light-drinking controls were followed-up for 10 years using questionnaires at three time-points. Magnetic resonance imaging was conducted at the last time-point.
  
  
  
  The area near Kuopio University Hospital, Finland.
  
  
  
  The 62 participants were aged 22-28 years and included 35 alcohol users and 27 controls who had been followed-up for approximately 10 years.
  
  
  
  Alcohol use was measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)-C at three time-points during 10 years. Participants were selected based on their AUDIT-C score. Magnetic resonance imaging was conducted at the last time-point. Grey matter volume was determined and compared between heavy- and light-drinking groups using voxel-based morphometry on three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance images using predefined regions of interest and a threshold of P < 0.05, with small volume correction applied on cluster level.
  
  
  
  Grey matter volumes were significantly smaller among heavy-drinking participants in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, right orbitofrontal and frontopolar cortex, right superior temporal gyrus and right insular cortex compared to the control group (P < 0.05, family-wise error-corrected cluster level).
  
  
  
  Excessive alcohol use during adolescence appears to be associated with an abnormal development of the brain grey matter. Moreover, the structural changes detected in the insula of alcohol users may reflect a reduced sensitivity to alcohol's negative subjective effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Radiology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.|Doctoral Programme of Clinical Research, School of Medicine, University of Eastern, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Noora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Heikkinen
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Eini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Niskanen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Radiology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.|Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Mervi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Könönen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.|Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Eastern, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Tommi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tolmunen
authors.affiliation: Doctoral Programme of Clinical Research, School of Medicine, University of Eastern, Kuopio, Finland.|Department of Psychiatry, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Virve
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kekkonen
authors.affiliation: Doctoral Programme of Clinical Research, School of Medicine, University of Eastern, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Petri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kivimäki
authors.affiliation: A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanila
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.|Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Eastern, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Eila
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laukkanen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Radiology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.|Department of Clinical Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Eastern, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Ritva
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vanninen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000254:growth & development; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development; D005387:Finland; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000254:growth & development; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009929:Organ Size; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development; D000066608:Underage Drinking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescence; alcohol; cingulate; grey matter; insula; neuroimaging; voxel-based morphometry