Problematic alcohol use and reduced hippocampal volume: a meta-analytic review - PubMed (original) (raw)

Review

Problematic alcohol use and reduced hippocampal volume: a meta-analytic review

S Wilson et al. Psychol Med. 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Background: A number of studies reports reduced hippocampal volume in individuals who engage in problematic alcohol use. However, the magnitude of the difference in hippocampal volume between individuals with v. without problematic alcohol use has varied widely, and there have been null findings. Moreover, the studies comprise diverse alcohol use constructs and samples, including clinically significant alcohol use disorders and subclinical but problematic alcohol use (e.g. binge drinking), adults and adolescents, and males and females.

Methods: We conducted the first quantitative synthesis of the published empirical research on associations between problematic alcohol use and hippocampal volume. In total, 23 studies were identified and selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis; effects sizes were aggregated using a random-effects model.

Results: Problematic alcohol use was associated with significantly smaller hippocampal volume (d = -0.53). Moderator analyses indicated that effects were stronger for clinically significant v. subclinical alcohol use and among adults relative to adolescents; effects did not differ among males and females.

Conclusions: Problematic alcohol use is associated with reduced hippocampal volume. The moderate overall effect size suggests the need for larger samples than are typically included in studies of alcohol use and hippocampal volume. Because the existing literature is almost entirely cross-sectional, future research using causally informative study designs is needed to determine whether this association reflects premorbid risk for the development of problematic alcohol use and/or whether alcohol has a neurotoxic effect on the hippocampus.

Keywords: Alcohol use; hippocampal volume; meta-analysis.

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Figures

Fig. 1

Fig. 1

Flow diagram for the literature search.

Fig. 2

Fig. 2

Funnel plot of effect sizes (Cohen’s _d_s) for each study plotted against study precision (the inverse of the sample’s standard error (S.E.)). White circles indicate effect sizes for published studies included in the meta-analysis; the white diamond indicates the aggregated mean effect for the included studies. Black circles indicate ‘missing’ effect sizes imputed using Duval and Tweedie’s trim-and-fill method to account for asymmetry in included studies; the black diamond indicates the recomputed aggregated mean effect, which includes the missing studies.

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