Convergent Evidence for Predispositional Effects of Brain Gray Matter Volume on Alcohol Consumption

Background Alcohol use has been reliably associated with smaller subcortical and cortical regional gray matter volumes (GMVs). Whether these associations reflect shared predisposing risk factors or causal consequences of alcohol use remains poorly understood. Methods Data came from 3 neuroimaging samples (N = 2423), spanning childhood or adolescence to middle age, with prospective or family-based data. First, we identified replicable GMV...