Cortical Thickness Abnormalities in Cocaine Addiction-A Reflection of Both Drug Use and a Pre-existing Disposition to Drug Abuse?

Nikos Makris, Gregory P. Gasic, David N. Kennedy, Steven M. Hodge, Jonathan R. Kaiser, Myung Joo Lee, Byoung Woo Kim, Anne J. Blood, A. Eden Evins, Larry J. Seidman, Dan V. Iosifescu, Sang Lee, Claudia Baxter, Roy H. Perlis, Jordan W. Smoller, Maurizio Fava, Hans C. Breiter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

128 Scopus citations

Abstract

The structural effects of cocaine on neural systems mediating cognition and motivation are not well known. By comparing the thickness of neocortical and paralimbic brain regions between cocaine-dependent and matched control subjects, we found that four of 18 a priori regions involved with executive regulation of reward and attention were significantly thinner in addicts. Correlations were significant between thinner prefrontal cortex and reduced keypresses during judgment and decision making of relative preference in addicts, suggesting one basis for restricted behavioral repertoires in drug dependence. Reduced effortful attention performance in addicts also correlated with thinner paralimbic cortices. Some thickness differences in addicts were correlated with cocaine use independent of nicotine and alcohol, but addicts also showed diminished thickness heterogeneity and altered hemispheric thickness asymmetry. These observations suggest that brain structure abnormalities in addicts are related in part to drug use and in part to predisposition toward addiction.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)174-188
Number of pages15
JournalNeuron
Volume60
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 9 Oct 2008
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • HUMDISEASE
  • SYSNEURO

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