• Addiction · Aug 2011

    Methamphetamine users show greater than normal age-related cortical gray matter loss.

    • Helenna Nakama, Linda Chang, George Fein, Ryan Shimotsu, Caroline S Jiang, and Thomas Ernst.
    • University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA. nakamah@dop.hawaii.edu
    • Addiction. 2011 Aug 1; 106 (8): 1474-83.

    BackgroundMethamphetamine (Meth) abuse continues to be a major illicit drug of abuse. Neuroimaging findings suggest that Meth is neurotoxic and may alter various brain structures, but the effect of Meth on the aging brain has not been studied.AimThe aim was to determine regional volumes of cortical gray matter in the brains of adult Meth users versus healthy control subjects, and their interaction with age and Meth-usage variables.DesignCross-sectional studySettingMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Research Center located in a university-affiliated hospital.ParticipantsThirty-four Meth-dependent subjects (21 men and 13 women; ages 33.1 ± 8.9 years), diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria, and 31 healthy non-Meth user comparison subjects (23 men and 8 women ages 35.7 ± 8.4 years).MeasurementRegional gray matter volumes were segmented automatically in all subjects and evaluated in relation to age, using high-resolution MRIs at 3.0 Tesla.FindingsAfter adjustment for the effects of cranium size, the Meth users showed enhanced cortical gray matter volume loss with age in the frontal (analysis of covariance interaction P = 0.02), occipital (interaction P = 0.01), temporal (interaction P < 0.001) and the insular lobes (interaction P = 0.01) compared to controls, independently of Meth-usage patterns. Additionally, Meth users showed smaller gray matter volumes than control subjects in several subregions (dorsolateral prefrontal: P = 0.02; orbitofrontal: P = 0.03; prefrontal: P = 0.047; superior temporal: P = 0.04).ConclusionsMethamphetamine users appear to show increased cortical gray matter loss with age which raises the possibility of accelerated decline in mental functioning.© 2011 The Authors, Addiction © 2011 Society for the Study of Addiction.

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