Controversy exists over whether and to what extent chronic alcoholism affects women’s brains differently from men’s brains (Glenn 1993). Results of studies using the same techniques to measure brain structure and function in men and women have been inconsistent. However, researchers have found evidence of similar degrees of brain shrinkage and impairment on tests of mental functioning in men and women, even though the women participating in the study had shorter drinking histories than the men (Lishman et al. 1987). Such evidence has led investigators to hypothesize that women’s brains may differ from men’s brains in their susceptibility to alcohol-related damage.
