SynthesisMolecular psychiatry2022
Brain metabolite alterations related to alcohol use: a meta-analysis of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies.
Synthesis in Molecular psychiatry, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neurometabolite Alterations Associated With Cannabis Use: A Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Meta-Analysis.Human brain mapping · 2025Pooled it
- Spectroscopic meta-analyses reveal novel metabolite profiles across methamphetamine and cocaine substance use disorder.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2023Pooled it
- The Effect of N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) on Neurometabolites and Cognitive Function in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2025Trial
- The neural and psychophysiological effects of cannabidiol in youth with alcohol use disorder: A randomized controlled clinical trial.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025Trial
- Cue-elicited prefrontal gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) dynamics in cannabis use disorder.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Age- and alcohol-related differences in adolescent neurometabolite levels.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2026Article
- A multimethod examination of impulsivity and its association with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, and other neurometabolite levels in youth who do and do not use alcohol.Addictive behaviors · 2025Article
- Frontal Brain N-Acetylaspartate at Treatment Entry is Related to Future World Health Organization Risk Drinking Levels in Individuals With Alcohol Use Disorder.Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs · 2025Article
- Alcohol-Induced Changes in Brain Microstructure: Uncovering Novel Pathophysiological Mechanisms of AUD Using Translational DTI in Humans and Rodents.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2025Review
- Effects of intermittent theta burst to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on brain volumes and neurometabolites in people with alcohol use disorder: a preliminary investigation.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Article
- Neuroimaging Biomarkers in Addiction.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2024Article
- Linking alcohol use to Alzheimer's disease: Interactions with aging and APOE along immune pathways.Medical research archives · 2024Article
- Pro-atherogenic medical conditions are associated with widespread regional brain metabolite abnormalities in those with alcohol use disorder.Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire) · 2024Article
- Imaging neuroinflammation in individuals with substance use disorders.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2024Review
- Multi-modal neuroimaging reveals differences in alcohol-cue reactivity but not neurometabolite concentrations in adolescents who drink alcohol.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2024Article
- Anterior cingulate metabolite levels, memory, and inhibitory control in abstinent men and women with alcohol use disorder.Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire) · 2023Article
- GABAergic signaling in alcohol use disorder and withdrawal: pathological involvement and therapeutic potential.Frontiers in neural circuits · 2023Review
- Multimodal neuroimaging of alcohol use: from acute neurochemical effects to chronic brain network reorganization and precision treatment targets.Frontiers in neurologyReview
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorder (AlUD) have neurobiological consequences. This meta-analysis of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies aimed to assess the differences in brain metabolite levels in alcohol misuse and AUD relative to controls (PROSPERO registration: CRD42020209890). Hedge's g with random-effects modeling was used. Sub-group and meta-regression techniques explored potential sources of demographic and MRS parameter heterogeneity. A comprehensive literature review identified 43 studies, resulting in 69 models across gray and white matter (GM, WM). Lower N-acetylaspartate levels were found in frontal, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), hippocampal, and cerebellar GM, and frontal and parietal WM, suggesting decreased neuronal and axonal viability. Lower choline-containing metabolite levels (all metabolites contributing to choline peak) were found in frontal, temporal, thalamic, and cerebellar GM, and frontal and parietal WM, suggesting membrane alterations related to alcohol misuse. Lower creatine-containing metabolite levels (Cr; all metabolites contributing to Cr peak) were found in temporal and occipital cortical GM, while higher levels were noted in midbrain/brainstem GM; this finding may have implications for using Cr as an internal reference. The lack of significant group differences in glutamate-related levels is possibly related to biological and methodological complexities. The few studies reporting on GABA found lower levels restricted to the ACC. Confounding variables were age, abstinence duration, treatment status, and MRS parameters (echo time, quantification type, data quality). This first meta-analysis of proton MRS studies consolidates the numerous individual studies to identify neurometabolite alterations within alcohol misuse and AUD. Future studies can leverage this new formalized information to investigate treatments that might effectively target the observed disturbances.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.