Work

Lower cortical thickness and accelerated brain aging in individuals engaging in at-risk alcohol use

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: • At-risk alcohol use, assessed via self-report, is associated with higher gamma-glutamyltransferase levels and higher weekly alcohol consumption. • At-risk alcohol use is associated with cortical thinning in all lobes of the brain, with the right lateral orbitofrontal gyrus showing the strongest effect. • A higher brain age gap was observed in at-risk alcohol users, indicating accelerated brain aging associated with alcohol use. In view of recent global trends in alcohol use, it becomes increasingly relevant to characterize health outcomes related to alcohol use. Previous studies that reported associations between alcohol use and brain health have not validated self-reported alcohol intake, considered only a very narrow demographic strata, or a limited subset of potential confounders and cortical regions for the assessment of brain health. This study aimed to analyze several neuroimaging-derived phenotypes and their associations with at-risk alcohol use in the general population. At-risk alcohol use was operationalized as the regular consumption of more than two units of alcohol at least twice a week. Cortical thickness, gray matter volume, and brain age gaps were derived from T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and compared between population-based individuals regularly engaging in at-risk alcohol use (n = 123) versus those who don’t (n = 403). Self-reported alcohol use was validated across groups by comparing gamma-glutamyltransferase levels. At-risk alcohol use was associated with higher gamma-glutamyltransferase levels and lower regional cortical thickness across all four lobes of the brain. We also observed higher brain age gaps of 1.21 years on average (CI: 0.26 to 2.15, p = 0.013) in individuals engaging in at-risk alcohol use. No associations with subcortical gray matter were detected. At-risk alcohol use was related to poor brain health as indicated by cortical thinning and accelerated brain aging in the general population. The findings underscore the potentially deleterious associations between alcohol use and neuroimaging-derived phenotypes. These findings, and particularly the accelerated brain aging, are increasingly relevant in view of recent global trends in alcohol use.

Source: Addictive Behaviors

DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108519

Authors: Marco Hermesdorf, Jürgen Wellmann, Matthias Nauck, Klaus Berger

Institutions: University of Münster, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Universität Greifswald, German Centre for Cardiovascular Research

Language: English

Topic: Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects

Subfield: Pathology and Forensic Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,450