Key regions affected in HE include the globus pallidus and substantia nigra. Volume effects on these two structures have not been reported in uncomplicated alcoholics; however, in children with fetal alcohol syndrome, globus pallidus volume is reduced in size compared with unaffected children (Nardelli et al. 2011). In contrast, other basal ganglia nodes of reward circuitry have been described as affected in uncomplicated alcoholism (Durazzo et al. 2011; Makris et al. 2008): MRI studies have revealed smaller volumes of caudate (Boutte et al. 2012), putamen (Jernigan et al. 1991a), amygdala (Fein et al. 2006), and nucleus accumbens, especially in more recently sober alcoholics compared with healthy controls (Sullivan et al. 2005a). Given the role of the amygdala in emotional regulation and behavioral control (for review, see McBride 2002), however, researchers have speculated that premorbid amygdala volume deficits put individuals at heightened risk for developing AUD (Benegal et al. 2007; Clarke et al. 2008; Kamarajan et al. 2006).
