The average volume of the prefrontal cortex of alcoholic teens was 157 ml, compared to 176 ml for nonalcoholic teens, researchers found. Further, the average volume of prefrontal white matter was 50 ml among alcoholic teens and 61 ml among nonalcoholic teens.

"Adults have to drink for many years to sustain any brain damage," said lead researcher Michael De Bellis, M.D, of Duke University Medical Center. "We don't know exactly how alcohol affects brain development in adolescence, but that is a very active time for such development, especially in areas that govern thinking, planning, and emotional regulation. The adolescent brain might be much more vulnerable."

Researchers noted that the brain areas affected were highly involved in decision-making.

The study appears in the September 2005 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

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