SY16
ESBRA/ISBRA/JMSAS JOINT SYMPOSIUM: ALCOHOL INDUCED ORGAN DAMAGE
SY16-1
IMAGING STUDIES OF ALCOHOL-INDUCED BRAIN DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH SYMPTOMATIC AND GENETIC VARIATIONS

Extract

Although cognitive decline is common in alcoholics, brain damage associated with symptomatic differences and genetic variations in MRI scans have not been fully explored in patients with alcohol dependence. We examined a large population of consecutively recruited Japanese alcoholic men, classified into three groups: Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome group (WKS), Korsakoff amnestic syndrome group (KS) and uncomplicated alcoholic groups (ALN). We conducted voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyses of gray matter and statistical parametric mapping (SPM) to compare brain damage among these groups. The VBM showed that the affected brain regions were larger in the KS group than in the ALN group. The affected regions included the frontal lobe and cerebellum in both groups. In the KS group the insular, limbic, and thalamic regions showed distinct or graded brain atrophy, with enlargement of the third ventricle. These areas were also commonly affected among the WKS group.

Furthermore, to clarify the effect of genetic variations of ADLH2 gene on the brain, comparisons were made between alcoholics with the ALDH2*2/*1 genotype and those with the ALDH2*1/*1 genotype. VBM analysis revealed that hippocampal and parahippocampal atrophy was more severe in the ALDH2*2/*1 group than in the ALDH2*1/*1 group.