Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026
15:27
Construction of Vapor Chambers Used to Expose Mice to Alcohol During the Equivalent of all Three Trimesters of Human Development
Published on: July 13, 2014
Binge drinking differentially affects adolescent male and female brain morphometry
Lindsay M Squeglia1, Scott F Sorg, Alecia Dager Schweinsburg
1San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA.
Psychopharmacology
|September 29, 2011
Summary
Adolescent binge drinking impacts brain development differently in males and females. Female binge drinkers showed thicker frontal cortices linked to cognitive deficits, while males had thinner cortices.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Adolescent binge drinking poses risks to neurodevelopment.
- Females may be more vulnerable to the effects of binge drinking during adolescence.
- Brain development continues throughout adolescence, making this a critical period for potential disruption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cortical thickness differences in adolescents using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
- To compare cortical thickness in adolescent males and females with and without binge drinking histories.
- To explore the relationship between binge drinking, gender, and brain structure.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 59 adolescents (16-19 years old) matched for age, gender, pubertal development, and family history of alcoholism.
- Grouped participants into recent binge drinkers (n=29) and non-drinkers (n=30).
- Utilized MRI and FreeSurfer software for cortical surface reconstruction and analysis.
Main Results:
- Significant binge drinking by gender interactions were observed in four left frontal cortical regions.
- Female binge drinkers exhibited approximately 8% thicker cortices compared to female controls.
- Male binge drinkers showed approximately 7% thinner cortices in the same regions compared to male controls.
- Thicker frontal cortices in female binge drinkers correlated with poorer visuospatial, inhibition, and attention performance.
Conclusions:
- Adolescent binge drinking is associated with distinct alterations in frontal cortical thickness between genders.
- Findings suggest potential sex-specific neurobiological risk factors or consequences of heavy alcohol consumption during adolescence.
- These structural brain differences may underlie observed cognitive performance variations in adolescent binge drinkers.
