Subcortical volumes are reduced in short-term and long-term abstinent alcoholics but not those with a comorbid stimulant disorder

Chronic alcohol abuse affects brain structure and function. We examined subcortical structure volumes in 77 short (6-15 week) and 90 long (multi-year) term abstinent alcoholics, along with 74 controls. We used a 3T Siemens MPRAGE sequence for image acquisition and FSL FIRST software for measuring subcortical volumes. When examining alcoholics without a comorbid stimulant disorder we found reduced hippocampal, pallidum and thalamus volumes in short term abstinence compared to a non-substance abusing control sample with numerically smaller yet still significant reductions compared to controls in long term abstinence. When examining alcoholics with a comorbid stimulant disorder, no difference from controls was found for any subcortical volume. Alcoholics with a stimulant disorder had significantly larger subcortical volumes than alcoholics without a stimulant disorder. This study replicates past research showing that chronic alcohol abuse is associated with lower subcortical volumes in short-term abstinent chronic alcoholics and extends this finding, although with smaller effects to long-term abstinent samples. The absence of this effect in the presence of a comorbid stimulant disorder suggests either a protective effect of stimulant abuse/dependence or that the measurements reflect the aggregate of alcohol dependence associated atrophy and stimulant abuse associated inflammation. Associations with function suggest the second of these two alternatives. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.