Differentiating Prenatal Exposure to Methamphetamine and Alcohol versus Alcohol and Not Methamphetamine using Tensor-Based Brain Morphometry and Discriminant Analysis

Abstract

Here we investigate the effects of prenatal exposure to methamphetamine (MA) on local brain volume using magnetic resonance imaging. Because many who use MA during pregnancy also use alcohol, a known teratogen, we examined whether local brain volumes differed among 61 children (ages 5-15 years), 21 with prenatal MA exposure, 18 with concomitant prenatal alcohol exposure (the MAA group), 13 with heavy prenatal alcohol but not MA exposure (ALC group), and 27 unexposed controls. Volume reductions were observed in both exposure groups relative to controls in striatal and thalamic regions bilaterally and in right prefrontal and left occipitoparietal cortices. Striatal volume reductions were more severe in the MAA group than in the ALC group, and, within the MAA group, a negative correlation between full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) scores and caudate volume was observed. Limbic structures, including the anterior and posterior cingulate, the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and ventral and lateral temporal lobes bilaterally, were increased in volume in both exposure groups. Furthermore, cingulate and right IFG volume increases were more pronounced in the MAA than ALC group. Discriminant function analyses using local volume measurements and FSIQ were used to predict group membership, yielding factor scores that correctly classified 72% of participants in jackknife analyses. These findings suggest that striatal and limbic structures, known to be sites of neurotoxicity in adult MA abusers, may be more vulnerable to prenatal MA exposure than alcohol exposure and that more severe striatal damage is associated with more severe cognitive deficit.

Substance exposure in utero and developmental consequences in adolescence: A systematic review

“…Consistent with animal-model research (Bhat et al, 2006;Dow-Edwards, 2011;Roussotte et al, 2010;Villarreal, Derrick, & Vathy, 2008;Yanai et al, 2003) and studies on functional magnetic resonance imaging (Roussotte et al, 2010;Sowell et al, 2010), children born to substanceusing women have been shown to be vulnerable across cognitive, emotional, and social functioning into adolescence.…”

“…Promising research using neuroimaging techniques may add to the field in describing the possible teratogenic CNS effects of opiates and alcohol in the developing child. There is a growing amount of literature using neuroimaging techniques to study these effects that holds promise for understanding brain and behavior relationships (Chang et al, 2004;Sowell et al, 2010;Walhovd et al, 2007Walhovd et al, , 2010.…”

“…Despite the fact that less evidence exists for long-term consequences of other substances than alcohol, recent brain-imaging studies certainly provide additional and important evidence of serious effects on the developing brain (Roussotte et al, 2010;Sowell et al, 2010;Walhovd et al, 2007Walhovd et al, , 2010. As discussed above, the evidence is convincing on consequences of prenatal alcohol, but also of other substance exposure and developmental consequences into adolescence.…”

Frontostriatal Connectivity in Children during Working Memory and the Effects of Prenatal Methamphetamine, Alcohol, and Polydrug Exposure

“…Consistent with rodent models, the neuroimaging literature shows prominent effects on dopamine-rich frontostriatal circuits, including volume reductions in the globus pallidus and putamen [36] and in two subregions of the caudate [38], volume increases in the anterior cingulate and inferior frontal gyrus [38], and lower diffusion in frontal white matter [39]. Metabolic abnormalities have also been reported in the striatum [40] and the frontal white matter [35].…”

Review of Current Neuroimaging Studies of the Effects of Prenatal Drug Exposure: Brain Structure and Function

“…A small sample of children with prenatal opioid exposure showed reduced global brain volume as well as regional differences including reduced volume in the cerebral cortex, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, putamen, pallidum, brainstem, cerebellar cortex, cerebellar white matter, and inferior lateral ventricles [68]. Prenatal methamphetamine exposure was linked to regional volume reductions in both striatal and limbic structures including the caudate, anterior and posterior cingulate, inferior frontal gyrus, and ventral and lateral temporal lobes; regions that are vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of methamphetamine in adult abusers [69]. Another study showed similar results, as well as sex-specific effects of prenatal methamphetamine exposure on brain structure, including increased volume in the striatum in males and increased cortical thickness in females [70].…”