Alcohol use and neuroimaging data were obtained as part of a comprehensive assessment of post-deployment health at the VA Boston TBI Center of Excellence (TRACTS). Veterans of OEF/OIF/OND present to the VA with complex and interactive psychological and physical problems, including high rates of alcohol and other substance abuse. A pattern of binge drinking (BD) during early adolescence may result in altered white matter (WM) development that interferes with the normal maturation of executive functions, which are essential for inhibitory control and good decision-making. We examined whether Veterans who begin a pattern of BD in early adolescence have decreased WM integrity as encoded by fractional anisotropy (FA) in a critical neural pathway that connects the basal ganglia and the orbital frontal cortex (OFC).
