Cocaine use is a worldwide health problem with psychiatric, somatic and socioeconomic complications, being the second most widely used illicit drug in the world. Despite several structural neuroimaging studies, the alterations in cortical morphology associated with cocaine use and addiction are still poorly understood. In this study, we compared the complexity of cortical folding (CCF), a measure that aims to summarize the convoluted structure of the cortex between patients with cocaine addiction (n = 52) and controls (n = 36), and correlated it with characteristics of addiction and impulsivity. We found that patients with cocaine addiction had greater impulsivity and showed reduced CCF in a cluster that encompassed the left insula and the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) and in one in the left medial orbitofrontal cortex.Finally, the CCF in the left medial orbitofrontal cortex was correlated with the age of onset of cocaine addiction and with attentional impulsivity. Overall, our findings suggest that chronic cocaine use is associated with changes in the cortical surface in the fronto-parieto-limbic regions that underlie emotional regulation and these changes are associated with earlier cocaine use. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to unravel the association of these changes with the diathesis for the disorder and with the chronic use of this substance.
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe mental illness with a strong genetic component. Genetic variations have been involved in the risk of this disorder, including those mediating brain function and neurodevelopment. Early neurodevelopment and neuroprogression processes could be reflected in brain gyrification patterns and help optimize the prediction and diagnosis of such disorders that is often delayed. Previous neuroimaging studies using this measure in patients with bipolar disorder revealed controversial results. This systematic review aimed to summarize available neuroimaging investigations on gyrification in BD compared to healthy controls (HC) and/or other psychiatric groups. Fourteen studies including 733 patients with BD, 585 patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), 90 with schizoaffective disorder (SZA), and 1380 healthy subjects were identified. Overall, a heterogeneous pattern of gyrification emerged between patients with BD and HC. Interestingly, increased gyrification or no differences were also observed in patients with BD compared to those with the schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Furthermore, relatives of patients with BD showed lower or no differences in gyrification compared to healthy subjects without a family history of affective illness. Differences in the design and in methodological approaches could have contributed to the heterogeneity of the findings. The current review supports an altered brain gyrification pattern that underlies the pathophysiology of BD spanning large anatomical and functional neural networks, associated with altered cognitive functioning, difficulties in processing and affective regulation, and clinical symptoms. Longitudinal studies are needed to test different bipolar phenotypes and pharmacological effects on gyrification.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.