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Updated: May 10, 2026
Disruption of Frontal Lobe Neural Synchrony During Cognitive Control by Alcohol Intoxication
Published on: February 6, 2019
Brain structural magnetic resonance imaging predictors of brief intervention response in individuals with alcohol use
Tegan L Hargreaves1,2, Carly McIntyre-Wood1,2, Emily Vandehei2
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, West 5th Campus 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8N 3K7, Canada.
Aims:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have identified brain structural predictors of treatment response in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) but with varying findings and primarily in male veterans. The present study investigated cortical surface area and thickness (CT) as predictors of brief intervention response in community-based adults with AUD.
Methods:
Sixty-five non-treatment-seeking adults with AUD (44.6% male, aged 33.2 ± 1.3 years) underwent an MRI and received a brief intervention comprising personalized feedback and motivational interviewing, with follow-up ~6-8 weeks later to quantify changes in drinks/week (DPW), the primary outcome. Eighteen bilateral a priori regions of interest (ROIs) were used to predict DPW at follow-up, adjusting for baseline drinking. Significant predictors were examined with secondary outcomes, percent drinking and heavy drinking days, and in relation to out-of-scanner measures of impulsivity and comorbidities.
Results:
Participants exhibited significant decreases in alcohol consumption in response to the brief intervention. Eight bilateral CT ROIs in the frontal, temporal, and occipital lobes, most notably medial orbitofrontal, middle temporal, and lateral occipital gyri, predicted DPW; however, only three predicted the secondary outcomes. Significant associations were observed between CT in frontal and occipital regions and impulsivity (delay discounting, lack of premeditation), executive functioning, anxiety, and stress.
Conclusions:
Thinner frontal, temporal, and occipital ROIs predicted poorer brief intervention response, with notable overlap with brain regions previously implicated in AUD. Clarifying whether these regions reflect premorbid or acquired differences and, if the latter, the potential for recovery of cortical gray matter following drinking reductions are future priorities.
