T1 and T2 relaxation time estimates and brain measures during withdrawal in alcoholic men

Twenty-four chronic alcoholic men were investigated with 0.02 Tesla 0.8 MHz magnetic resonance imaging on days 7–9 of acute alcohol withdrawal state. Estimates of T1 and T2 relaxation times were obtained from the white matter and basal ganglia nuclei in an axial section. This section was also used for area measurements of intracranial structures using computer-assisted tissue classification. The relation between T1 and age was more marked in the alcoholic patients than in the control group. Mean values of T1 and T2 did not differ between the two groups, but differences in the age dependence of T1 were highly significant for all regions. The number of years of drinking was influential to T1, but to a lesser extent than age. Lateral ventricular area correlated significantly with T1 of the white matter in the alcoholic patients. Using visual ratings of the entire intracranial volume the alcoholic patients demonstrated wider lateral ventricles and cortical sulci, but there was no increased frequency of white matter lesions.