The existence of a structural scaffolding for the frontocerebellar circuitry in alcoholism has been supported by correlational analysis. In alcoholics, volume deficits quantified with MRI in the pons co-occur with volume deficits in the white matter of the anterior superior cerebellar vermis and white and gray matter of the cerebellar hemispheres. By contrast, volume deficits in the thalamus co-occur with volume deficits in the gray matter of the posterior inferior vermis, cerebellar hemispheres, and parietal cortex (Sullivan, 2003). A lack of correlation between pontine and thalamic volumes suggests their independence in the afferent and efferent loops of the frontocerebellar network.
