Prefrontal Cortex, Thalamus, and Cerebellar Volumes in Adolescents and Young Adults with Adolescent-Onset Alcohol Use Disorders and Comorbid Mental Disorders
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In adults, prefrontal, thalamic, and cerebellar brain injury is associated with excessive ethanol intake. As these brain structures are actively maturing during adolescence, we hypothesized that subjects with adolescent-onset alcohol use disorders, compared with control subjects, would have smaller brain volumes in these areas. Thus, we compared prefrontal-thalamic-cerebellar measures of adolescents and young adults with adolescent-onset alcohol use disorders (AUD, defined as DSM-IV alcohol dependence or abuse) with those of sociodemographically similar control subjects. METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure prefrontal cortex, thalamic, and cerebellar volumes in 14 subjects (eight males, six females) with an AUD (mean age, 17.0+/-2.1 years) and 28 control subjects (16 males, 12 females; 16.9+/-2.3 years). All AUD subjects were recruited from substance abuse treatment programs and had comorbid mental disorders. RESULTS: Subjects with alcohol use disorders had smaller prefrontal cortex and prefrontal cortex white matter volumes compared with control subjects. Right, left, and total thalamic, pons/brainstem, right and left cerebellar hemispheric, total cerebellar, and cerebellar vermis volumes did not differ between groups. There was a significant sex-by-group effect, indicating that males with an adolescent-onset AUD compared with control males had smaller cerebellar volumes, whereas the two female groups did not differ in cerebellar volumes. Prefrontal cortex volume variables significantly correlated with measures of alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that a smaller prefrontal cortex is associated with early-onset drinking in individuals with comorbid mental disorders. Further studies are warranted to examine if a smaller prefrontal cortex represents a vulnerability to, or a consequence of, early-onset drinking.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Adolescents with alcohol use disorder have smaller prefrontal grey and white matter volumes than age-matched controls.
“Studies of adolescent individuals with alcohol use disorder have found smaller prefrontal grey and white matter volumes than age-matched controls.”
From Impulsivity, frontal lobes and risk for addiction (2009) · cites this paper as De Bellis et al., 2005
Lower prefrontal volumes correlate with a higher maximum number of drinks per drinking episode.
“Lower prefrontal volumes correlated with a higher maximum number of drinks per drinking episode (De Bellis et al., 2005).”
From Impulsivity, frontal lobes and risk for addiction (2009) · cites this paper as De Bellis et al., 2005
Cites
Castellanos, F. X. (2002) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.288.14.1740 · Cited by 1,646 · see citing works
Quantitative brain magnetic resonance imaging in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
Castellanos, F. X. (1996) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1996.01830070053009 · Cited by 1,183 · cited 4× · see citing works
“Alteration in the frontal-striatal circuitry underlies the psychopathology of ADHD and probably causes the related deficits of higher cognitive functions in these individuals (Berquin et al., 1998; Castellanos et al., 1996).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialGrowth patterns in the developing brain detected by using continuum mechanical tensor maps
Thompson, P. M., Giedd, J. N., Woods, R. P., MacDonald, D., Evans, A. C., & Toga, A. W. (2000) · Nature · doi:10.1038/35004593 · Cited by 850 · see citing works
Wagner, F. (2002) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1016/s0893-133x(01)00367-0 · Cited by 739 · see citing works
Sex Differences in Brain Maturation during Childhood and Adolescence
De Bellis, M. D. (2001) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/11.6.552 · Cited by 728 · see citing works
Barkley, R. A. (1997) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037//0033-2909.121.1.65 · Cited by 580 · see citing works
Cerebellum in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A morphometric MRI study
Berquin, P. C., Giedd, J. N., Jacobsen, L. K., Hamburger, S. D., Krain, A. L., Rapoport, J. L., & Castellanos, F. X. (1998) · Neurology · doi:10.1212/wnl.50.4.1087 · Cited by 564 · see citing works
Anatomical MRI of the developing human brain: what have we learned?
DURSTON, S., HULSHOFF POL, H. E., CASEY, B. J., GIEDD, J. N., BUITELAAR, J. K., & VAN ENGELAND, H. (2001) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/00004583-200109000-00009 · Cited by 410 · cited 1× · see citing works
“PFC and the cerebellar hemispheres are brain regions that undergo active developmental changes during adolescence (Durston et al., 2001; Giedd et al., 1999; Paus et al., 2001; Pfefferbaum et al., 1994; Thompson et al., 2000).”
BackgroundSmaller prefrontal and premotor volumes in boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Mostofsky, S. H., Cooper, K. L., Kates, W. R., Denckla, M. B., & Kaufmann, W. E. (2002) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(02)01412-9 · Cited by 379 · see citing works
Evaluation of Cerebellar Size in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Mostofsky, S. H., Reiss, A. L., Lockhart, P., & Denckla, M. B. (1998) · Journal of Child Neurology · doi:10.1177/088307389801300904 · Cited by 311 · see citing works
Substance use and withdrawal: neuropsychological functioning over 8 years in youth
TAPERT, S. F., GRANHOLM, E., LEEDY, N. G., & BROWN, S. A. (2002) · Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society · doi:10.1017/s1355617702870011 · Cited by 272 · see citing works
Etiology of early age onset substance use disorder: A maturational perspective
TARTER, R., VANYUKOV, M., GIANCOLA, P., DAWES, M., BLACKSON, T., MEZZICH, A., & CLARK, D. B. (1999) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579499002266 · Cited by 272 · see citing works
Self-citationNeural substrates of decision making in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Ernst, M., Kimes, A. S., London, E. D., Matochik, J. A., Eldreth, D., Tata, S., Contoreggi, C., Leff, M., & Bolla, K. (2003) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.160.6.1061 · Cited by 254 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Chronic stress, drug use, and vulnerability to addiction
Sinha, R. (2008) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1196/annals.1441.030 · Cited by 1,904 · see citing works
Adolescent cortical development: A critical period of vulnerability for addiction
Crews, F., He, J., & Hodge, C. (2007) · Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2006.12.001 · Cited by 1,091 · see citing works
Impulsivity, frontal lobes and risk for addiction
Crews, F. T., & Boettiger, C. A. (2009) · Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2009.04.018 · Cited by 679 · see citing works
The influence of substance use on adolescent brain development
Squeglia, L. M., Jacobus, J., & Tapert, S. F. (2009) · Clinical EEG and Neuroscience · doi:10.1177/155005940904000110 · Cited by 542 · see citing works
Effect of alcohol use on the adolescent brain and behavior
Lees, B., Meredith, L. R., Kirkland, A. E., Bryant, B. E., & Squeglia, L. M. (2020) · Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2020.172906 · Cited by 411 · see citing works
Lisdahl, K. M., Gilbart, E. R., Wright, N. E., & Shollenbarger, S. (2013) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00053 · Cited by 284 · see citing works
Altered white matter integrity in adolescent binge drinkers
McQueeny, T., Schweinsburg, B. C., Schweinsburg, A. D., Jacobus, J., Bava, S., Frank, L. R., & Tapert, S. F. (2009) · Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research · doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2009.00953.x · Cited by 266 · see citing works
Brown, S. A., Brumback, T., Tomlinson, K., Cummins, K., Thompson, W. K., Nagel, B. J., De Bellis, M. D., Hooper, S. R., Clark, D. B., Chung, T., et al. (2015) · Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs · doi:10.15288/jsad.2015.76.895 · Cited by 255 · see citing works
Self-citationMolecular and behavioral aspects of the actions of alcohol on the adult and developing brain
Alfonso-Loeches, S., & Guerri, C. (2011) · Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences · doi:10.3109/10408363.2011.580567 · Cited by 254 · see citing works
Hanson, K. L., Medina, K. L., Padula, C. B., Tapert, S. F., & Brown, S. A. (2011) · Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse · doi:10.1080/1067828x.2011.555272 · Cited by 235 · see citing works
Alcohol, psychological dysregulation, and adolescent brain development
Clark, D. B., Thatcher, D. L., & Tapert, S. F. (2008) · Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research · doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00601.x · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Self-citationStructural brain abnormalities in borderline personality disorder: a voxel-based morphometry study
Soloff, P., Nutche, J., Goradia, D., & Diwadkar, V. (2008) · Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2008.02.003 · Cited by 177 · see citing works
Self-citationEffects of alcohol use initiation on brain structure in typically developing adolescents
Luciana, M., Collins, P. F., Muetzel, R. L., & Lim, K. O. (2013) · The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse · doi:10.3109/00952990.2013.837057 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
The long-term cognitive consequences of adolescent exposure to recreational drugs of abuse
Mooney-Leber, S. M., & Gould, T. J. (2018) · Learning & Memory · doi:10.1101/lm.046672.117 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Chao, H. H., Luo, X., Chang, J. L., & Li, C.-S. R. (2009) · BMC Neuroscience · doi:10.1186/1471-2202-10-75 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Andersen, S. L. (2015) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579415000103 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Cservenka, A., Casimo, K., Fair, D. A., & Nagel, B. J. (2014) · Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2013.12.004 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
De Bellis, M. D., Hooper, S. R., Chen, S. D., Provenzale, J. M., Boyd, B. D., Glessner, C. E., MacFall, J. R., Payne, M. E., Rybczynski, R., & Woolley, D. P. (2015) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579415000942 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Impact of neuroimmune activation induced by alcohol or drug abuse on adolescent brain development
Guerri, C., & Pascual, M. (2019) · International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2018.11.006 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Chao, M., Li, X., & McGue, M. (2017) · Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research · doi:10.1111/acer.13493 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Addiction, Adolescence, and Innate Immune Gene Induction
Crews, F. T., & Vetreno, R. P. (2011) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2011.00019 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Semenova, S. (2012) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-011-2458-2 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Seemiller, L. R., & Gould, T. J. (2020) · Neurobiology of Learning and Memory · doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107234 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Binge drinking and cognitive impairment in young people
Thayanukulvat, C., & Harding, T. (2015) · British Journal of Nursing · doi:10.12968/bjon.2015.24.7.401 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
- Authors
- Bellis, M. D., Narasimhan, A., Thatcher, D. L., Keshavan, M. S., Soloff, P., & Clark, D. B.
- Affiliations
- Duke Medical Center (US)
- Duke University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bellis, Michael D.
- Venue
- Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2005-09
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 1590-1600
- ISSN
- 0145-6008 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2151295460
- Cited by
- 424
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 32 · 2012: 30
- FWCI
- 8.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Keywords
- alcoholism, alcohol abuse, thalamus, cerebellar volume, brain maturation, comorbid mental disorders, white matter volume, sex differences, alcohol consumption, adolescents, young adults
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Alcoholism, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Mental Disorders, Cerebellum, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Thalamus, Multivariate Analysis, Prefrontal Cortex, Age of Onset
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
