Alcohol and brain structure across the lifespan: A systematic review of large-scale neuroimaging studies.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review of observational cohort studies (CEBM Level 3)
PubMed 39317645 · doi:10.1111/adb.13439
What was done
Systematic review of large-scale neuroimaging studies examining the effects of alcohol exposure on brain structure across development. Studies were included if they had an alcohol-exposed sample size of at least N = 100 drawn from major consortia (ABCD, ENIGMA, NCANDA, IMAGEN, Framingham Offspring Study, HCP, and UK Biobank). Twenty-seven studies met inclusion criteria: prenatal exposure (1 study), adolescent exposure (9 studies), low-to-moderate adult exposure (11 studies), and heavy adult exposure (7 studies).
What was found
The abstract reports directional findings without numerical effect sizes or confidence intervals. Prenatal exposure was associated with greater brain volume at ages 9-10 based on one study. Both low-to-moderate and heavy adult consumption were associated with smaller volume and thickness in frontal, temporal, and parietal regions, alongside reductions in insula, cingulate, and subcortical structures. Adolescent consumption showed similar patterns of smaller volume and thickness, though evidence for reductions in cingulate, insula, and subcortical volume was less consistent.
Why it matters
This review synthesizes large consortium datasets across the lifespan, indicating that both moderate and heavy alcohol use in adolescence and adulthood correlate with widespread reductions in cortical volume and thickness.
Limits
The abstract reports no numerical effect sizes, p-values, or pooled meta-analytic estimates. Findings for prenatal exposure are limited to a single study. All synthesized findings derive from observational cohorts, precluding definitive causal inference and leaving open potential confounding by sociodemographic or lifestyle factors.
Cited by
- supports Light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with decreased brain volume.