Abstract
Heavy alcohol consumption has been associated with brain atrophy, neuronal loss, and poorer white matter fiber integrity. However, there is conflicting evidence on whether light-to-moderate alcohol consumption shows similar negative associations with brain structure. To address this, we examine the associations between alcohol intake and brain structure using multimodal imaging data from 36,678 generally healthy middle-aged and older adults from the UK Biobank, controlling for numerous potential confounds. Consistent with prior literature, we find negative associations between alcohol intake and brain macrostructure and microstructure. Specifically, alcohol intake is negatively associated with global brain volume measures, regional gray matter volumes, and white matter microstructure. Here, we show that the negative associations between alcohol intake and brain macrostructure and microstructure are already apparent in individuals consuming an average of only one to two daily alcohol units, and become stronger as alcohol intake increases.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 1175 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-11 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Nature Communications |
Volume | 13 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 4 Mar 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was carried out under the auspices of the Brain Imaging and Genetics in Behavioral Research Consortium (https://big-bear-research.org/), using UK Biobank resources under application 40830. The study was supported by funding from an ERC Consolidator Grant to PK (647648 EdGe), NSF Early Career Development Program grant (1942917) to GN, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to RRW (K23 AA023894), and the VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center at the Crescenz VA Medical Center. GN thanks Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz for their ongoing support.
Funding Information:
This research was carried out under the auspices of the Brain Imaging and Genetics in Behavioral Research Consortium ( https://big-bear-research.org/ ), using UK Biobank resources under application 40830. The study was supported by funding from an ERC Consolidator Grant to PK (647648 EdGe), NSF Early Career Development Program grant (1942917) to GN, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to RRW (K23 AA023894), and the VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center at the Crescenz VA Medical Center. GN thanks Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz for their ongoing support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
Funding
This research was carried out under the auspices of the Brain Imaging and Genetics in Behavioral Research Consortium (https://big-bear-research.org/), using UK Biobank resources under application 40830. The study was supported by funding from an ERC Consolidator Grant to PK (647648 EdGe), NSF Early Career Development Program grant (1942917) to GN, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to RRW (K23 AA023894), and the VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center at the Crescenz VA Medical Center. GN thanks Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz for their ongoing support. This research was carried out under the auspices of the Brain Imaging and Genetics in Behavioral Research Consortium ( https://big-bear-research.org/ ), using UK Biobank resources under application 40830. The study was supported by funding from an ERC Consolidator Grant to PK (647648 EdGe), NSF Early Career Development Program grant (1942917) to GN, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to RRW (K23 AA023894), and the VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center at the Crescenz VA Medical Center. GN thanks Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz for their ongoing support.
Funders | Funder number |
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Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz | |
Crescenz VA Medical Center | |
National Science Foundation | 1942917 |
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism | K23AA023894 |
Engineering Research Centers | |
European Research Council | 647648 EdGe |