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Alcohol: Effects on Neurobehavioral Functions and the Brain

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Abstract

Alcoholism results from an interplay between genetic and environmental factors, and is linked to brain defects and associated cognitive, emotional, and behavioral impairments. A confluence of findings from neuroimaging, physiological, neuropathological, and neuropsychological studies of alcoholics indicate that the frontal lobes, limbic system, and cerebellum are particularly vulnerable to damage and dysfunction. An integrative approach employing a variety of neuroscientific technologies is essential for recognizing the interconnectivity of the different functional systems affected by alcoholism. In that way, relevant experimental techniques can be applied to assist in determining the degree to which abstinence and treatment contribute to the reversal of atrophy and dysfunction.

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Acknowledgments

The writing of this paper was supported by the US Department of Health and Human Services, NIAAA (R01-AA07112, K05-AA00219, and K01-AA13402), the Medical Research Service of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Psychiatry, and Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, L-815, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA, 02118, USA

    Marlene Oscar-Berman

  2. Psychology Research Service, VA Healthcare System, Boston Campus, Boston, MA, USA

    Marlene Oscar-Berman

  3. Radiology Department, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Ksenija Marinković

  4. Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Ksenija Marinković

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  1. Marlene Oscar-Berman
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Correspondence to Marlene Oscar-Berman.

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Oscar-Berman, M., Marinković, K. Alcohol: Effects on Neurobehavioral Functions and the Brain. Neuropsychol Rev 17, 239–257 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-007-9038-6

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