Family history density of alcoholism relates to left nucleus accumbens volume in adolescent girls.

Objective: A family history of alcoholism is a significant risk factor for the development of alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Because common structural abnormalities are present in reward and affective brain regions in alcoholics and those with familial alcoholism, the current study examined the relationship between familial loading of AUDs and volumes of the amygdala and nucleus accumbens (NAcc) in largely alcohol-naive adolescents, ages 12-16 years (N = 140).

Method: The amygdala and NAcc were delineated on each participant's T1-weighted anatomical scan, using FMRIB Software Library's FMRIB Integrated Registration & Segmentation Tool, and visually inspected for accuracy and volume outliers.