RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALCOHOL-WITHDRAWAL SEIZURES AND TEMPORAL-LOBE WHITE-MATTER VOLUME DEFICITS

A previous magnetic resonance imaging study from our laboratory report ed significant temporal robe volume deficits in cortical gray matter, white matter, and anterior hippocampus in chronic alcoholic men relati ve to controls. In the present study, we reexamined these data and ask ed whether withdrawal seizure history was predictive of either the hip pocampal or the extrahippocampal volume deficits, A review of the medi cal charts indicated that 11 alcoholics had experienced one or more al cohol-related seizures and 35 were seizure-free; no patient had a seiz ure disorder unrelated to alcohol. The two alcoholic groups did not di ffer significantly in age, education, alcohol consumption variables, p remorbid intelligence, Memory Quotient, Trail Making, or detection of hidden figures. Although each alcoholic group showed significant bilat eral volume deficits of the anterior hippocampus and frontal-parietal and temporal gray matter, relative to controls, the seizure group had significantly smaller temporal lobe white matter volumes than either t he control or the seizure-free groups; the latter two groups did not d iffer from each other, Both alcoholic groups, however, had white matte r volume deficits in the frontal-parietal region. Thus, the seizure gr oup accounted for the white matter volume deficits in the temporal lob e previously reported in the full sample of alcoholics. It seems, then , that reduced white matter volume in the temporal lobes may be either a risk factor for or sequela of alcohol withdrawal seizures.