Decreased Perfusion in Young Alcohol-Dependent Women as Compared With Age-Matched Controls

Aim: To use the superior spatial resolution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine differences in cerebral perfusion between young alcohol dependent and normal women. Methods: Eight alcohol dependent women and 8 controls (all ages 18-25) received single-slice resting perfusion-weighted MRI (directly proportional to brain blood flow), with slices located above the corpus callosum. Results: Alcohol-dependent women had decreased perfusion in prefrontal and left parietal regions. Conclusions: Reduced perfusion has not previously been reported in young, physically healthy alcohol dependent females, yet is consistent with previously reported decreased cerebral activity in alcohol dependence.