"Twenty-first birthday drinking: Extreme drinking episodes and white matter microstructural changes in the fornix and corpus callosum": Retraction of Boness et al. (2019).

Abstract

Reports the retraction of "Twenty-first birthday drinking: Extreme-drinking episodes and white matter microstructural changes in the fornix and corpus callosum" by Cassandra L. Boness, Ozlem Korucuoglu, Jarrod M. Ellingson, Anne M. Merrill, Yoanna E. McDowell, Constantine J. Trela, Kenneth J. Sher, Thomas M. Piasecki and John G. Kerns (Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2020[Oct], Vol 28[5], 553-566). The explanation for the retraction: In preparing to use the DTI images for secondary data analysis, it was discovered that multiple participants had the wrong DTI data included for Session 1 analyses. This was due to a file transfer error that incorrectly substituted another participant's DTI data for the correct DTI data. In correcting the error and reanalyzing the data, our findings changed in ways that were nontrivial and, thus, exceed what would be appropriate for a corrigendum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2019-72844-001.) The 21st birthday celebration is characterized by extreme alcohol consumption. Accumulating evidence suggests that high-dose bingeing is related to structural brain changes and cognitive deficits. This is particularly problematic in the transition from adolescence to adulthood when the brain is still maturing, elevating the brain's sensitivity to the acute effects of alcohol intoxication. Heavy drinking is associated with reduced structural integrity in the hippocampus and corpus callosum and is accompanied by cognitive deficits. However, there is little research examining changes in the human brain related to discrete heavy-drinking episodes. The present study investigated whether alcohol exposure during a 21st birthday celebration would result in changes to white matter microstructure by utilizing diffusion tensor imaging measures and a quasi-experimental design. By examining structural changes in the brain from pre- to postcelebration within subjects (N = 49) prospectively, we were able to more directly observe brain changes following an extreme-drinking episode. Region of interest analyses demonstrated increased fractional anisotropy in the posterior fornix (p < .0001) and in the body of the corpus callosum (p = .0029) from pre- to postbirthday celebration. These results suggest acute white matter damage to the fornix and corpus callosum following an extreme-drinking episode, which is especially problematic during continued neurodevelopment. Therefore, 21st birthday drinking may be considered an important target event for preventing acute brain injury in young adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).