Associations of White Matter Microstructure with Clinical and Demographic Characteristics in Heavy Drinkers.

ABSTRACT: Damage to the brain's white matter is a signature injury of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), yet understanding of risks associated with clinical and demographic characteristics is incomplete. This study investigated alcohol problem severity, recent drinking behavior, and demographic factors in relation to white matter microstructure in heavy drinkers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), were collected from 324 participants (mean age = 30.9 ± 9.1 years; 30% female) who reported five or more heavy drinking episodes in the past 30 days. Drinking history and alcohol problem severity were assessed. A common white matter factor was created from fractional anisotropy (FA) values of five white matter tracts: body of corpus callosum, fornix, external capsu

SUBMITTER: Monnig MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4631485 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature