Children from families with a history of alcohol abuse show characteristics in their brains that may make them more susceptible to becoming problem drinkers themselves, a new study reports.
Using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh found potentially significant structural differences in the brains of teenagers from families with multigenerational drinking problems. The report was published in a recent issue of Biological Psychiatry.
The lead author, Dr. Shirley Y. Hill, said the study had found that the right portion of a brain area called the amygdala appeared smaller than normal in the teenagers studied. The amygdala helps control emotions, the researchers said, and appears to play an important role in addictive behavior like gambling and drug use.
The researchers looked at 34 boys and young men whose family histories were believed to put them at high risk; their average age was 17. The study found that some of the deviations in the brain occurred even if the subjects were not using alcohol. They said that fact suggested a genetic component.
The researchers said they suspected that the teenagers’ brains would eventually develop normally if they avoided alcohol. But studies have shown that children from families with long histories of drinking start using alcohol earlier.
Source: New York Times July 12 2006