White-matter abnormalities in brain during early abstinence from methamphetamine abuse

Abstract

BackgroundPrevious studies revealed microstructural abnormalities in prefrontal white matter and corpus callosum of long-term abstinent chronic methamphetamine abusers. In view of the importance of the early abstinence period in treatment retention, we compared 23 methamphetamine-dependent subjects abstinent from methamphetamine for 7–13 days with 18 healthy comparison subjects. As certain metabolic changes in the brain first manifest after early abstinence from methamphetamine, it is also possible that microstructural white-matter abnormalities are not yet present during early abstinence.MethodsUsing diffusion tensor imaging at 1.5 T, fractional anisotropy (FA) was measured in prefrontal white matter at four inferior–superior levels parallel to the anterior commissure–posterior commissure (AC–PC) plane. We also sampled FA in the corpus callosum at the midline and at eight bilateral, fiber-tract sites in other regions implicated in effects of methamphetamine.ResultsThe methamphetamine group exhibited lower FA in right prefrontal white matter above the AC–PC plane (11.9% lower; p = 0.007), in midline genu corpus callosum (3.9%; p = 0.019), in left and right midcaudal superior corona radiata (11.0% in both hemispheres, p’s = 0.020 and 0.016, respectively), and in right perforant fibers (7.3%; p = 0.025). FA in left midcaudal superior corona radiata was correlated with depressive and generalized psychiatric symptoms within the methamphetamine group.ConclusionsThe findings support the idea that methamphetamine abuse produces microstructural abnormalities in white matter underlying and interconnecting prefrontal cortices and hippocampal formation. These effects are already present during the first weeks of abstinence from methamphetamine and are linked to psychiatric symptoms assessed during this period.

Persistent Microstructural Deficits of Internal Capsule in One-Year Abstinent Male Methamphetamine Users: a Longitudinal Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

“…A few DTI studies on MA users reported WM changes in corpus callosum (Kim et al 2009;Salo et al 2009) and frontal lobe (Alicata et al 2009;Chung et al 2007;Tobias et al 2010), which were not found in the present study. The inconsistency could be caused by different demographic and drug use profiles.…”

“…Besides IC, lower FA was found over the bilateral SCR in the present study. A previous study also reported abnormal bilateral SCR integrity in MA users whose last MA use was 7-13 days prior to the MRI scan (Tobias et al 2010). There was a positive correlation between FA in left SCR and mood/psychiatric symptoms.…”

“…WM fills nearly half of the human brain, provides connections between regional or distant areas (Fields 2008b), and plays a critical role in cognition and learning (Fields 2008a). Cross-sectional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have revealed that microstructural abnormalities in fronto-striatal network (Alicata et al 2009;Chung et al 2007;Lyoo et al 2015;Tobias et al 2010) and corpus callosum (Kim et al 2009;Salo et al 2009;Tobias et al 2010) in chronic MA users were associated with cognitive function impairments (Chung et al 2007;Kim et al 2009) or clinical symptoms (Lederer et al 2016;Tobias et al 2010). Uhlmann et al (2016) reported a positive correlation between WM integrity and MA abstinence time in several major WM tracts.…”

Abnormal White Matter Integrity in Chronic Users of Codeine-Containing Cough Syrups: A Tract-Based Spatial Statistics Study

“…29,30 The abnormal WM integrity of the right superior corona radiata observed in this study may account for the risk-taking behavior and higher impulsivity found in chronic CCS users. Loss of WM integrity in the corona radiata has been consistently observed in cocaine, 31 methamphetamine, 32 and alcohol dependence. 33 These findings are consistent with those of previous results.…”

The effects of naltrexone on neural responses to methamphetamine cues

“…Structural brain abnormalities among frequent methamphetamine users as compared to healthy controls have also been observed, including, but not limited to, reduced white-matter integrity and/or organization associated with depression severity and positive psychiatric symptoms (Tobias et al, 2010), reduced gray matter in the cingulate, limbic, and paralimbic cortices (Thompson et al, 2004), reduced hippocampal volumes associated with poorer memory performance (Thompson, et al, 2004), altered shape of the corpus callosum (Oh et al, 2005), and increased volumes of the putamen and globus pallidus (interpreted as a compensatory effect; Chang et al, 2005). As noted by Berman and colleagues (2008), lower cortical gray matter density or volume is the most consistently reported structural abnormality in amphetamine users, and studies assessing striatal gray matter report larger volumes in amphetamine abusers when compared to healthy controls, although the latter may reflect a compensatory response to initial neurotoxicity (S. Berman, et al, 2008).…”