Greater alcohol intake predicts accelerated brain aging in humans, which mediates the relationship between alcohol intake and behavioral inflexibility
Our findings demonstrate that alcohol use is a significant predictor of accelerated brain aging, even in young adulthood. In addition, our findings suggest that such brain changes may mechanistically link more hazardous alcohol use to impaired behavioral flexibility. Future studies should also explore factors, such as other lifestyle behaviors, that may mitigate alcohol- and age-related processes.
Authors
- Donita L. Robinson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7540-3363)
- Madeline M. Robertson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2761-0162)
- Jillian T. Battista (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9572-6493)
- Charlotte A. Boettiger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1853-1574)
- Elena Vidrascu
Institutions
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Imaging Center (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Alcohol Clinical and Experimental Research
- Published
- 2025-02-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.15534
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.77
Funders
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- National Institute on Drug Abuse