observed in the current study is consistent with these findings as well as with the observed correlation between decreased prefrontal gray matter volumes and heightened drinking behavior in adolescents with substance use disorders (76). Similarly, Medina et al. (30) reported lower prefrontal gray matter volumes in adolescents with heavy alcohol use relative to controls, but this pattern was observed only in females and in the context of a cross-sectional comparison. Given that cortical thickness did not differ between groups at baseline, our findings suggest that alcohol use in relatively small quantities may result in neurotoxic changes in neuronal structure within the middle frontal region, providing a substrate for potential later difficulties with impulse control and executive dysfunction.
