Brazilian scientists from the Federal University of São Paulo have found that men recovering from alcohol addiction have a decrease in gray matter in key brain regions responsible for thinking, memory and emotion. The study is published in the scientific journal Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging (PRN).

The team analyzed magnetic resonance imaging scans of 100 people, half of whom were being treated for alcoholism and the rest served as a control group. The tomograms allowed them to assess the volume of gray matter. The volunteers also underwent tests for memory, anxiety and depression. The results showed that the alcohol-dependent patients had significantly less gray matter volume in areas of the frontal lobe and limbic system, including the orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus and cingulate cortex. These areas are responsible for decision-making, emotional regulation, and long-term memory. Participants with alcohol dependence performed worse on memory tests and showed higher levels of anxiety and depression. However, the differences in decision-making between the groups were less pronounced, which may be due to the limitations of the tests used. The study also found that emotional difficulties such as anxiety and depression may be partly due to structural changes in the brain.