Age of onset of adolescent binge drinking is differentially associated with cortical thickness in post‐9/11 adult Veterans

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical period for neural development andhas been associated with high rates of alcohol abuse. This research examined potential long-termbrain and behavioral effectsof early versus late-onset adolescent binge drinkingin an adult sample of post-9/11 Veterans. We compared cortical thickness measures in Veterans with a historyofbinge drinking that beganbefore the age of 15 (n=50; mean age=32.1years) to those with a history ofbinge drinkingwith onsetafter the age of 15 (n=300; mean age=32.1years). Data processing was conducted with FreeSurfer. A targeted neuropsychological battery (Digit Span test,Delis-Kaplan Executive Function SystemColor-Word Interference Test, California Verbal Learning Test-II) was used to examine the relationships between cortical thickness and attention, memory, and inhibition. A reference group of social drinkers with no history of early binge drinking (n=31) was usedto provide normative data. Early-onset adolescent binge drinkers(EBD)hadgreater corticalthickness in several regions thanlate-onset adolescent binge drinkers(LBD); both binge-drinking groups hadgreatercortical thicknessthanthe reference group. There was a stronger negative association between cortical thickness and age inEBDs thanLBDs in the (i) lateral orbitofrontal cortex, (ii) supramarginal gyrus, (iii) paracentral lobule, and (iv) anterior caudal cingulate. Poorer performance on the attention and inhibition tasks in the EBDswasalso associated with thicker cortices. This study demonstrates greater cortical thickness across frontoparietal regions in adults who began binge drinking in early versus late adolescence. A stronger negative association between cortical thickness and age in the EBDs suggests that early-onset adolescent binge drinking may be associated with accelerated cortical thinning. Thicker cortex in these regions, which are known to mediate inhibitory control, may increase impulsive behavior and contribute to the risk of alcohol addiction.