Hippocampal and striatal gray matter volume are associated with a smoking cessation treatment outcome: results of an exploratory voxel-based morphometric analysis.

RATIONALE: Compared to nonsmokers, smokers exhibit a number of potentially important differences in regional brain structure including reduced gray matter (GM) volume and/or density in areas including frontal and cingulate cortices, thalamus, and insula. However, associations between brain structure and smoking cessation treatment outcomes have not been reported. OBJECTIVES: In the present analysis we sought to identify associations between regional GM volume--as measured by voxel-based morphometry (VBM)--and a smoking cessation treatment outcome (point prevalence abstinence at 4 weeks). METHODS: Adult smokers underwent high-resolution anatomical MRI scanning prior to an open label smoking cessation treatment trial. VBM was conducted in SPM5 using the DARTEL algorithm and relapser vs. quitter groups were compared using independent sample t tests (p < 0.001, uncorrected). Analyses controlled for potentially confounding factors including years smoked, cigarettes per day, total intracranial volume (TIV), and sex. RESULTS: Of 18 smokers, 8 achieved a 4-week point prevalence abstinence, confirmed by CO level (

Selectively reduced responses to smoking cues in amygdala following extinction-based smoking cessation: results of a preliminary functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Preliminary studies suggest an extinction-based smoking cessation treatment using reduced nicotine content (RNC) cigarettes decreases self-report craving for cigarettes prior to quitting and may be an effective smoking cessation treatment. The aims of this study was to evaluate the effect of an extinction-based smoking cessation treatment on brain responses to smoking cues using blood-oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Sixteen (n = 16) dependent smokers were scanned using BOLD fMRI at baseline, following 2-4 weeks of smoking RNC cigarettes while wearing a 21-mg nicotine patch, and 2-4 weeks following quitting smoking. During scanning, participants viewed smoking-related pictures (e.g. lit cigarette) and pictures of people engaged in everyday activities (e.g. using a stapler). Event-related BOLD responses to smoking and control cues were analyzed in regions of interest (ROIs) known to subserve reward, attention, motivation and emotion. The extinction-based treatment simultaneously attenuated responses to smoking cues in amygdala while potentiating responses to control cues. Exploratory analysis indicated that this pattern was also observed in the thalamus of future abstinent but not relapsing smokers. The results of this preliminary study suggest that an extinction-based treatment for smoking cessation alters brain responses to smoking and control cues in amygdala--a region previously associated with drug cue reactivity and extinction.

Regional brain activity correlates of nicotine dependence.

Fifteen smokers participated in a study investigating brain correlates of nicotine dependence. Dependence was reduced by having subjects switch to denicotinized cigarettes for 2 weeks while wearing nicotine skin patches. Positron emission tomography (PET) scans assessed regional cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (rCMRglc) after overnight nicotine abstinence on three occasions: (1) at baseline; (2) after 2 weeks of exposure to denicotinized cigarettes+nicotine patches; and (3) 2 weeks after returning to smoking the usual brands of cigarettes. Craving for cigarettes and scores on the Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND) questionnaire decreased at the second session relative to the first and last sessions. Regional brain metabolic activity (normalized to whole brain values) at session 2 also showed a significant decrease in the right hemisphere anterior cingulate cortex. Exploratory post hoc analyses showed that the change in craving across sessions was negatively correlated with the change in rCMRglc in several structures within the brain reward system, including the ventral striatum, orbitofrontal cortex and pons. The between-session difference in thalamus activity (right hemisphere) was positively correlated with the difference in FTND scores. Correlational analyses also revealed that reported smoking for calming effects was associated with a decrease (at session 2) in thalamus activity (bilaterally) and with an increase in amygdala activity (left hemisphere). Reported smoking to enhance pleasurable relaxation was associated with an increase in metabolic activity of the dorsal striatum (caudate, putamen) at session 2. These findings suggest that reversible changes in regional brain metabolic activity occur in conjunction with alterations in nicotine dependence. The results also highlight the likely role of thalamic gating processes as well as striatal reward and corticolimbic regulatory pathways in the maintenance of cigarette addiction.