Bilateral fronto-parietal integrity in young chronic cigarette smokers: a diffusion tensor imaging study.

Yanhui Liao,Hongxian Chen,Tieqiao Liu,Tao Luo,Yongwen Deng,Xiaogang Chen,Qijian Deng,Wei Hao,Jinsong Tang,Xuyi Wang,Arthur L Brody

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0026460

Abstract

BackgroundCigarette smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in China and other countries. Previous studies have demonstrated gray matter loss in chronic smokers. However, only a few studies assessed the changes of white matter integrity in this group. Based on those previous reports of alterations in white matter integrity in smokers, the aim of this study was to examine the alteration of white matter integrity in a large, well-matched sample of chronic smokers and non-smokers.Methodology/Principal FindingsUsing in vivo diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to measure the differences of whole-brain white matter integrity between 44 chronic smoking subjects (mean age, 28.0±5.6 years) and 44 healthy age- and sex-matched comparison non-smoking volunteers (mean age, 26.3±5.8 years). DTI was performed on a 3-Tesla Siemens scanner (Allegra; Siemens Medical System). The data revealed that smokers had higher fractional anisotropy (FA) than healthy non-smokers in almost symmetrically bilateral fronto-parietal tracts consisting of a major white matter pathway, the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF).Conclusion/SignificanceWe found the almost symmetrically bilateral fronto-parietal whiter matter changes in a relatively large sample of chronic smokers. These findings support the hypothesis that chronic cigarette smoking involves alterations of bilateral fronto-parietal connectivity.

Highlights

Despite having a comprehensive tobacco control policy, cigarette smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in China [1] and other developing countries [2], as it already is in developed countries today, and accounts for 5 million deaths globally each year [3]
Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the brain structure and function in chronic cigarette smoker provides a better understanding about the adverse effects of chronic cigarette smoking on brain
We examined white matter changes in a relatively large sample of nicotine dependent smokers and nonsmokers matched for a number of demographic variables using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)

Summary

Introduction

Despite having a comprehensive tobacco control policy, cigarette smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in China [1] and other developing countries [2], as it already is in developed countries today, and accounts for 5 million deaths globally each year [3]. Understanding the mechanism of nicotine dependence and developing better therapies to help with smoking cessation is an urgent need. Emerging technologies, such as neuroimaging and genomics, have contributed to new insights into the neuropharmacology of tobacco addiction [9]. There is considerable literature from functional neuroimaging studies assessing the effects of chronic cigarette smoking on brain structure and function [10,11,12]. While several studies have examined gray matter differences between smokers and non-smokers [13,14,15], much is less known about the white matter structural changes in brain in chronic cigarette smokers. Based on those previous reports of alterations in white matter integrity in smokers, the aim of this study was to examine the alteration of white matter integrity in a large, well-matched sample of chronic smokers and non-smokers

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion