Morphological study on gray matter volume changes of short-term withdrawal therapy in patients with alcohol use disorder / 实用放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the changes in brain structure after short-term withdrawal therapy in patients with alcohol use disorder(AUD).Methods A total of 28 male patients with AUD were included,and brain MRI scans were performed at the time of enrollment and 2-3 weeks after standardized treatment.The total volume of brain tissue,gray matter,white matter and cerebrospi-nal fluid volume before and after treatment were measured by voxel-based morphometry(VBM)technology,and the gray matter volume of each brain region of the whole brain was measured and statistically analyzed according to the automated anatomical labeling(AAL)template.Results Compared with the baseline data,after 2-3 weeks of standardized treatment,the volume of gray matter in brain tissue increased significantly,and the volume of cerebrospinal fluid decreased significantly.Compared with before treatment,the brain regions with increased gray matter volume in the left hemisphere were distributed in the medial and paracingulate gyrus,central sulcus cover,anterior wedge lobe and insula,and the brain regions with increased gray matter volume in the right hemisphere were distributed in the anterior cingulate gyrus,paracingulate gyrus,central sulcus cover,amygdala,superior temporal gyrus,middle temporal gyrus,transverse temporal gyrus,anterior cuneiformus,posterior central gyrus,superior marginal gyrus,peritaloid cortex and insula.Conclusion Patients with AUD experience some increases in gray matter volume,especially in the prefrontal lobe,after short-term withdrawal therapy.