Ingrid Agartz poster abstract

MR volumetry during acute alcohol withdrawal and abstinence

I. Agartz1, J. Franck2, G. Okugawa3, K. Svinhufvud2, H. Bergman2

1Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry; 2Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Clinical Alcohol and Drug Research Section, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; 3UWCM, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan

Although recovery of brain volume with abstinence from alcohol in chronic drinkers is known to occur, the mechanism behind is not clear.

Measurements of segmented brain tissue class volumes (grey matter (GM), white matter (WM) and CSF) were obtained in 6 chronic alcohoholics in acute withdrawal and abstinence using MRI. Subjects were studied within 48 hours after last drink, one and two months later. 11 healthy subjects were scanned twice within one month. Drinking data and cognitive test measures were obtained.

Intracranial and GM volumes did not change between scans. For patients, increase in relative WM volume between scan 1 and 2 ranged between 2.1 and 22.4%. Between scan 2 and 3, increase in total relative WM volume ranged between 5.3 and 14.0%.

One individual resumed drinking and was again investigated during acute withdrawal. The measured decrease of 8.5% (relative WM volum) corresponded to the WM increase between scan 1 and 2. GM and WM volumes in healthy subjects were constant over time.

Changes in brain volume in chronic alcoholics during withdrawal and abstinence appears confined to the white matter.

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