Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain in Alcoholics: Cerebral Atrophy, Lifetime Alcohol Consumption, and Cognitive Deficits

Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in 69 detoxified alcoholics revealed that relaxation time (T1) in whole brain and in grey matter and parietal white matter was greater than in age-matched controls. In 48 patients, data on cognitive function and lifetime alcohol consumption were available. With age-controlled, lifetime consumption, and impairment on performance in the cognitive test (a Category Sorting Test) correlated positively with T1 whole brain and in selected regions. Impairment in the cognitive test correlated with increased T1 in whole brain and white matter independently of cerebral atrophy. Alcohol consumption patterns in the following 6 months were unrelated to changes in T1. The excess water implied by the elevated T1 values may be intra- or extracellular. It is uncertain whether or not T1 elevation in alcoholics is a marker of neuronal damage. T1 elevation appears to be a marker of one type of alcohol-related cognitive impairment.