The smaller volumes were found in the accumbens, hippocampus, and pallidum. The largest effect was for the hippocampus, consistent with the literature on the morbid effects of chronic alcohol abuse on hippocampal volumes and function (Agartz et al., 1999; Bonthius et al., 2001; Harding et al., 1997; Sullivan et al., 1995, 1996). The findings for the other regions are consistent with prior research showing smaller volumes of reward-related subcortical structures in alcoholics compared to controls (Makris et al., 2008; Oscar-Berman and Song, 2011).
