Childhood maltreatment is associated with abnormalities in brain development [9•, 38], most consistently with decreased volume of the corpus callosum together with other white tract abnormalities [49–51]. Notably, AUDs in adults are associated with white matter volume loss and demyelination, particularly in the corpus callosum, and this has implications for efficiency in interhemispheric processing [52, 53]. Disrupted corpus callosum microstructure is also found in adolescent binge drinkers [54] and those with adolescent-onset AUDs [55]. It remains to be seen whether this might be a consequence of childhood maltreatment and/ or the effects of alcohol on the developing brain.
