Faculty Collaboration Database

Hippocampal volumes in adolescents with and without a family history of alcoholism. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 2010 May;36(3):161-7

Date

05/15/2010

Pubmed ID

20465374

Pubmed Central ID

PMC3891832

DOI

10.3109/00952991003736397

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-77952324999 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   56 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The hippocampus may be vulnerable to the effects of heavy alcohol use during adolescence, which is a time of continued neurodevelopment. However, differences in hippocampal volume may be due to risk factors such as a family history (FH) of alcoholism. We examined hippocampal volumes in youth with and without a FH of alcoholism prior to the initiation of alcohol use.

METHODS: Participants were demographically matched adolescents (aged 12-14) with positive (n = 15; FHP) and negative (n = 15; FHN) FH of alcoholism. Each group consisted of 10 males and 5 females with minimal previous substance use. Manual hippocampal tracings were completed on high-resolution magnetic resonance images by reliable raters, and intracranial volumes were controlled in analyses.

RESULTS: FH groups did not differ on memory or hippocampal volumes, but group x gender interactions (p < .05) indicated that FHP males had larger left hippocampi than FHN males. Females showed greater left versus right hippocampal asymmetry, while males showed larger right versus left asymmetry. For all adolescents, larger right hippocampal volumes predicted poorer delayed visual memory (p < .01).

CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Alcoholism risk factors, such as family history of alcoholism, may differentially influence adolescent hippocampal development for boys as compared to girls. Results suggest that FH does not account for prior findings of reduced left hippocampal volumes in heavy drinking youth. Findings are preliminary, but suggest that future studies examining the effects of alcohol use on the adolescent brain should consider the influence of FH, especially among boys.

Author List

Hanson KL, Medina KL, Nagel BJ, Spadoni AD, Gorlick A, Tapert SF

Author

Krista Lisdahl PhD Assistant Professor in the Psychology department at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Alcoholism
Case-Control Studies
Child
Child of Impaired Parents
Family Health
Female
Functional Laterality
Hippocampus
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Memory Disorders
Neuropsychological Tests
Risk Factors
Sex Factors