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. 2018 Jul;3(7):610-617.
doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.02.006. Epub 2018 Mar 14.

Longitudinal Effects of Alcohol Consumption on the Hippocampus and Parahippocampus in College Students

Shashwath A Meda  1 , Keith A Hawkins  2 , Alecia D Dager  3 , Howard Tennen  4 , Sabin Khadka  5 , Carol S Austad  6 , Rebecca M Wood  6 , Sarah Raskin  7 , Carolyn R Fallahi  6 , Godfrey D Pearlson  8
Affiliations

Longitudinal Effects of Alcohol Consumption on the Hippocampus and Parahippocampus in College Students

Shashwath A Meda et al. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2018 Jul.

Abstract

Background: The hazardous effects of alcohol consumption on both the hippocampus and memory have been well established. However, the longitudinal effects of ethanol on the developing brain and related consequences on memory are not well explored. Given the above, we investigated the longitudinal effects of college drinking on hippocampal volume in emerging college adults.

Methods: Data were derived from the longitudinal Brain and Alcohol Research with College Students study. A subset of 146 freshmen (mean age at baseline = 18.5 years) underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging scans at baseline and 24 months later. Four drinking-related measures derived from monthly surveys were reduced to a single alcohol use index using principal component analysis. Gray matter volumetric change (GMV-c) data were derived using a longitudinal pipeline. Voxelwise hippocampal/para-hippocampal GMV-c associations with the drinking index were derived using a multiple regression framework within SPM12. Supplementary associations were assessed between GMV-c and memory scores computed from the California Verbal Learning Test-II (assessed at the end of the study), and between GMV-c and total alcohol-induced memory blackouts.

Results: Larger alcohol use index was associated with an accelerated GMV decline in the hippocampus/para-hippocampus. Also, larger hippocampal volume decline was associated with poorer memory performance and more memory blackouts.

Conclusions: Our study extends prior cross-sectional literature by showing that a heavier drinking burden while in college is associated with greater hippocampal GMV decline that is in turn associated with poorer memory scores, all of which could ultimately have a significant impact on student success.

Keywords: Binge; College; Cortical; Hippocampus; Morphometry; Substance use.

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Conflict of interest statement

Financial Disclosures:

All authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Regions where heavier AUI was associated with a greater rate of volumetric decline. Data is displayed at a p<0.05 TFCE corrected FWE threshold.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Liability of Youthful Alcohol Misuse.
    Sullivan EV. Sullivan EV. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2018 Jul;3(7):575-576. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.04.011. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2018. PMID: 30047474 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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