Nagel et al. (2005). This study sought to evaluate the impact of adolescent alcohol consumption on the hippocampus. This sample included AU adolescents (ages 15–17; defined as youth who met AUD criteria, who were predominantly weekend binge drinkers; n = 14), and a group of demographically similar non-AU youth (n = 17). Examination of intracranial WM and GM volumes indicated smaller left hippocampal volumes for AU compared with non-AU group. Contrary to predictions, both AU and non-AU groups showed comparable right hippocampal and intracranial GM and WM volumes. Furthermore, no relationship was observed between hippocampal volumes and patterns of AU (e.g., age of onset of regular drinking, years of regular drinking, drinks consumed per month, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, estimated typical peak blood alcohol content, lifetime number of AUD criteria). These findings indicate a significant relationship between reduced left hippocampal volume and adolescent AU.
