Non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers: effects of chronic cigarette smoking on brain structure.
We previously reported [Cardenas, V.A., Studholme, C., Meyerhoff, D.J., Song, E., Weiner, M.W., 2005. Chronic active heavy drinking and family history of problem drinking modulate regional brain tissue volumes. Psychiatry Res. 138, 115-130] that non-treatment-seeking, active heavy drinkers (HD) demonstrated smaller regional neocortical gray matter volumes compared to light drinking controls; however, the potential effects of chronic cigarette smoking on regional brain volumes were not addressed. The goal of this retrospective analysis was to determine if chronic smoking affected brain structure in the non-treatment-seeking heavy drinking sample from our earlier report (i.e., Cardenas et al., 2005). Regional volumetric comparisons were made among age-matched smoking HD (n=17), non-smoking HD (n=16), and non-smoking light drinkers (nsLD; n=20) from our original sample. Quantitative volumetric measures of neocortical gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), subcortical structures, and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) were derived from high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging. Smoking HD demonstrated smaller volumes than nsLD in the frontal, parietal, temporal GM, and for total neocortical GM. Smoking HD also demonstrated smaller temporal and total GM volumes than non-smoking HD. Non-smoking HD and nsLD did not differ significantly on GM volumes. Further, the three groups did not differ on lobar WM, subcortical structures or regional CSF volumes. These retrospective analyses indicate neocortical GM volume reductions in non-treatment-seeking smoking HD, but not in non-smoking HD, which are consistent with our studies in recently detoxified treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent samples.
Durazzo
Timothy C
TC
Center for Neuroimaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center, 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA 94121, USA. timothy.durazzo@ucsf.edu
Cardenas
Valerie A
VA
Studholme
Colin
C
Weiner
Michael W
MW
Meyerhoff
Dieter J
DJ
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005731:Ganglionic Stimulants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009538:Nicotine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology*
D005731:Ganglionic Stimulants; D009538:Nicotine