Third ventricle volume and psychometric alterations in patients with alcohol usage

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the deadliest psychiatric conditions. Previous studies indicate that AUD is linked to several neurological biomarkers in the human brain; however, how alcohol use manifests in brain volumes and the relationships between the subcortical brain regions affected by AUD and clinical outcomes are not fully understood. This study attempts to compare subcortical brain volume differences between patients with AUD and healthy controls (HC) to understand how alcohol use relates to brain volume changes. METHODS: Patients with AUD, as determined by alcohol dependence and abuse criteria from the DSM-IV, (n = 71) were recruited and matched with HC (n = 71) by demographic characteristics. We examined group differences in the volumes of 40 bilateral subcortical structures between patients with AUD and HC. We assessed the relationship between changes in subcortical brain volumes and common co-occurring psychiatric symptoms. RESULTS: Our results revealed a significant increase of third ventricle volume in patients with AUD compared to HC. Moreover, we also found a positive correlation between the third ventricle volume and generalized anxiety in patients with AUD. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate significant enlargement of the third ventricle volume in patients with AUD, as well as relatedness between the volume of this area and generalized anxiety. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: This study is the first in the literature to find volume alterations correlated with clinical outcomes among AUD patients, reflecting a complex relationship between brain volumes and psychological symptoms in this population.