in brain tissue volumes following periods of abstinence from alcohol have been observed in gray matter (Durazzo et al., 2011) and in white matter (Ruiz et al., 2013), often with corresponding decreases in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Potential mechanisms underlying recovery of neural tissue during sobriety include remyelination, neurogenesis, and rehydration (Nixon, 2006; Rosenbloom and Pfefferbaum, 2008). Accordingly, recovery of neuropsychological functioning has been directly associated with improvements in the structure of neural tissue (Muller-Oehring et al., 2009; Stavro et al., 2012).
