Cerebellar volume decline in normal aging, alcoholism, and Korsakoff's syndrome: Relation to ataxia

The authors used magnetic resonance imaging to measure gray and white matte r volumes in cerebellar hemispheres and 4 vermian regions in 61 normal cont rol (NC) men aged 23-72 years, 25 men with uncomplicated alcoholism (ALC), and 8 men and 1 woman with alcoholic Korsakoffs syndrome (KS). NC and ALC t ook quantitative gait and balance tests. Gray but not white matter volume d eclined with normal age in both hemispheres and anterior-superior vermis. A LC had gray but not white matter cerebellar hemisphere volume deficits, whe reas KS had deficits in both tissue types. ALC and KS had gray and white ma tter volume deficits in anterior superior but not posterior inferior vermis . ALC had a 1 SD ataxia deficit, significantly and selectively correlated w ith white matter volume in anterior superior vermis. Regional distribution but not severity of cerebellar volume deficits is similar in alcoholic indi viduals whether or not complicated by KS and relates to ataxia.