The current MRS study was conducted in individuals with AUD and demographically-matched control subjects to evaluate frontal white matter and thalamic metabolite levels. Because of the preponderance of evidence in support of frontal integrity as a requirement for sustained abstinence and for the role of thalamic integrity in sleep maintenance, it was hypothesized that NAA levels in frontal white matter and in thalamic tissue of AUD subjects at study entry would be lower than those of controls and be associated with relapse, thereby providing a potential marker for relapse risk. Further, we tested the hypothesis that high Cho levels in either voxel would be predictive of relapse. Exploratory correlations examined relations between metabolite levels and alcohol consumption variables, notably, that greater amount of alcohol drunk, recency of drinking, and binge-style drinking would be associated with lower NAA levels in either voxel.
