Abstract
Betel quid (BQ) is one of the most popular addictive substances in the world. However, the neurophysiological mechanism underlying BQ addiction remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether and how BQ chewing would affect brain function in the framework of a dynamic brain network model. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were collected from 24 male BQ-dependent individuals and 26 male non-addictive healthy individuals before and promptly after chewing BQ. Switching rate, a measure of temporal stability of functional brain networks, was calculated at both global and local levels for each scan. The results showed that BQ-dependent and healthy groups did not significantly differ on switching rate before BQ chewing (F = 0.784, p = 0.381, analysis of covariance controlling for age, education, and head motion). After chewing BQ, both BQ-dependent (t = 2.674, p = 0.014, paired t-test) and healthy (t = 2.313, p = 0.029, paired t-test) individuals showed a significantly increased global switching rate compared to those before chewing BQ. Significant corresponding local-level effects were observed within the occipital areas for both groups, and within the cingulo-opercular, fronto-parietal, and cerebellum regions for BQ-dependent individuals. Moreover, in BQ-dependent individuals, switching rate was significantly correlated with the severity of BQ addiction assessed by the Betel Quid Dependence Scale scores (Spearman's rho = 0.471, p = 0.020) before BQ chewing. Our study provides preliminary evidence for the acute effects of BQ chewing on brain functional dynamism. These findings may provide insights into the neural mechanisms of substance addictions.
Highlights
Betel quid (BQ) is an addictive substance made from areca nut, which is chewed by ∼600 million people worldwide, mostly in Asia [1, 2]
A total of twenty-four male BQ-dependent individuals were recruited from the Changsha city, Mainland China based on the following inclusion criteria: [1] 18–40 years of age; [2] righthanded; [3] Han Chinese ethnicity; [4] meeting the diagnostic criteria for BQ dependence based on the Betel Quid Dependence Scale (BQDS) (BQDS total score > 4), which was proved to be suitable for measuring BQ dependence in Chinese speakers [38]
Before BQ chewing, there was no significant difference in global switching rate between the healthy controls (HCs) and BQ-dependent groups (F = 0.784, p = 0.381, as shown in Figure 1A); no significant groups differences were observed at the sub-network- or nodal levels, either
Summary
Betel quid (BQ) is an addictive substance made from areca nut, which is chewed by ∼600 million people worldwide, mostly in Asia [1, 2]. By comparing the brain FC before and after BQ chewing, an acute effect of BQ chewing on FC patterns has been proved in both BQ-dependent chewers [9] and normal controls [19, 20]. These findings have significantly advanced our understanding of the neural mechanism underlying BQ addiction
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