This quantitative volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study, contrasted differences in total and regional GM, WM and subcortical tissue volumes as well as ventricular and sulcal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) between abstinent alcohol dependent individuals without current illicit substance dependence (ALC) and those with current psychostimulant dependence (PSU). ALC and PSU groups were abstinent from alcohol and/or psychostimulants for about one month. The functional relevance of our MRI measures was assessed by correlating them with neurocognitive measures. Since ALC recover brain tissue volume significantly but not completely within their first month of sobriety (Durazzo et al., 2014; Gazdzinski et al., 2005; Pfefferbaum et al., 1995; Trabert et al., 1995; van Eijk et al. 2013), while individuals with PSUD show regional GM tissue volume deficits even after many weeks and years of abstinence (Liu et al., 1998; Tanabe et al., 2009), we tested the following hypotheses in treatment-seeking individuals after one month of abstinence from alcohol and other substances: PSU have smaller lobar GM, WM and subcortical tissue volumes as well as larger CSF volumes than light-drinking controls (LD) and ALC.In PSU
