Schweinsburg B C, Taylor M J, Videen J S, Alhassoon O M, Patterson T L, Grant I
Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, University of California, San Diego, 92161, USA.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2000 May;24(5):699-705.
Individuals in short-term abstinence from chronic alcohol consumption commonly have neuropsychological impairments with parallel abnormalities in brain structure. Stable, long-term sobriety often results in improvements in both brain structure and function, although the mechanisms underlying these changes are currently not well understood.
To investigate further the neurobiological underpinnings of alcohol-associated brain abnormalities in short-term and long-term abstinence from alcohol, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (echo time, 35 msec; repetition time, 1.5 sec) was used to assay metabolites in the anterior centrum semiovale, anterior cingulate gyrus, and right thalamus of two groups of non-Korsakoff alcoholic men, at different stages of abstinence, compared with a control group of alcohol-nonabusing men. Absolute concentrations of N-acetylaspartate, choline, myo-inositol, and creatine were measured in four recently detoxified alcoholics (mean age, 48.7 years; median abstinence, 41.5 days), five long-term abstinent alcoholics (mean age, 45.1 years; median abstinence, 1.7 years), and five nonalcoholic controls (mean age, 45.0 years).
Although there were no between-group differences in concentrations of N-acetylaspartate, choline, or creatine, recently detoxified alcoholics had significantly higher myo-inositol in the thalamus, compared with controls and long-term abstinent alcoholics, and significantly higher myo-inositol in the anterior cingulate gyrus, compared with the controls.
Elevations in myo-inositol in recently detoxified alcoholics are compatible with an acute alcohol cytotoxicity model. myo-Inositol is elevated in hyperosmolar states such as hypernatremia, renal failure, and diabetes; alcohol-induced hyperosmolarity may trigger accumulation of myo-inositol to stabilize the intracellular environment. Increases in myo-inositol may also reflect proliferation or activation of glia. The reduction of myo-inositol to control group levels in long-term abstinent alcoholics may reflect osmolar stability in abstinent alcoholics and/or a reduction in glial cell activation.
短期戒除慢性酒精摄入的个体通常存在神经心理学损伤，同时大脑结构也有相应异常。稳定的长期戒酒往往会使大脑结构和功能都得到改善，尽管目前对这些变化背后的机制还不太清楚。
为了进一步研究短期和长期戒酒过程中酒精相关脑异常的神经生物学基础，采用质子磁共振波谱法（回波时间35毫秒；重复时间1.5秒）对两组非柯萨科夫酒精性男性在戒酒不同阶段的半卵圆中心前部、前扣带回和右侧丘脑的代谢物进行检测，并与一组不饮酒的男性对照组进行比较。测量了4名近期戒酒的酗酒者（平均年龄48.7岁；戒酒中位数41.5天）、5名长期戒酒的酗酒者（平均年龄45.1岁；戒酒中位数1.7年）和5名非酒精性对照者（平均年龄45.0岁）的N - 乙酰天门冬氨酸、胆碱、肌醇和肌酸的绝对浓度。
尽管N - 乙酰天门冬氨酸、胆碱或肌酸的浓度在组间没有差异，但近期戒酒的酗酒者丘脑的肌醇浓度显著高于对照组和长期戒酒的酗酒者，前扣带回的肌醇浓度也显著高于对照组。
近期戒酒的酗酒者肌醇升高与急性酒精细胞毒性模型相符。在高渗状态如高钠血症、肾衰竭和糖尿病中肌醇会升高；酒精诱导的高渗可能触发肌醇积累以稳定细胞内环境。肌醇增加也可能反映神经胶质细胞的增殖或激活。长期戒酒的酗酒者肌醇降至对照组水平可能反映了戒酒者的渗透压稳定性和/或神经胶质细胞激活的减少。
