Correlation between nicotine dependence and brain changes:a voxel-based morphometry study / 实用放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the pattern of cerebral gray matter and white matter volume changes among smokers with differ-ent level of nicotine dependence (addition)using voxel-based morphometry (VBM).Methods The current case-control study recrui-ted 53 healthy male smokers and 53 healthy non-smokers from outpatients of our hospital during January 2013 to May 2014.Personal information (including for example age,sex and addition dependence of subjects)was collected using a questionnaire.3D-T1 images of whole brain structure were collected and were analyzed using DARTEL toolbox of SPM8.Smokers were divided into mild to mod-erate nicotine dependence group (n=23)and severe nicotine dependence group (n=30)based on Fagerstr?m Test for Nicotine De-pendence (FTND)score.Independent sample t-test analyses were performed to compare the volumes of gray matter and white mat-ter between smokers with different levels of nicotine dependence and non-smokers.Results Compared with non-smokers,gray and white matter volumes of smokers were smaller in multiple brain areas,mainly in the middle occipital gyrus,posterior cingulate,cer-ebellum anterior lobe,precuneus,caudate body and insula,which however,had larger number and scope of focal areas with gray and white matter atrophy in the mild to moderate nicotine dependence group than that in the severe nicotine dependence group.Conclusion Smokers with mild to moderate nicotine dependence have more pronounced gray and white matter atrophy than that smokers with severe nicotine dependence have.