The inconclusive evidence regarding the association between moderate alcohol intake and brain structure in the general population may be because the literature consists of mostly small, unrepresentative studies with limited statistical power34,35. Moreover, most studies have not accounted for the effects of many relevant covariates and, therefore, have yielded potentially biased findings. Potential confounds that may be associated with individual differences in both alcohol intake and neuroanatomy include sex36, body mass index (BMI)37, age38,39, and genetic population structure40. Similar to other research fields, progress in this area may also be limited by publication bias, as positive findings are more likely to be published than null results41.
