The More You Drink, the More You Shrink

Alcohol consumption might decrease brain volume.

Many of our patients are social drinkers who may have been told that a little alcohol is good for the heart. Although moderate alcohol intake seems to have positive effects on cognition (JW Psychiatry Dec 21 2005) and risk for Alzheimer disease, its effect on brain volume or white-matter hyperintensities remains unknown. These researchers correlated alcohol intake in 1839 individuals from the Framingham Offspring Study with total cerebral brain volume (TCBV), as measured on MRI.

The subjects (approximately 53% women; mean age, 61; predominately white) were grouped as abstainers; former drinkers; or low (1–7 drinks/week), moderate (8–14 drinks/week), or high (>14 drinks/week) drinkers based on self-reported alcohol consumption in the previous…

Reviewing Author

Jonathan Silver, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions

Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)

Jonathan Silver, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions

Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

The More You Drink, the More You Shrink

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Reviewing Author