title: Frontal and cingulate gray matter volume reduction in heroin dependence: optimized voxel-based morphometry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Repeated exposure to heroin, a typical opiate, causes neuronal adaptation and may result in anatomical changes in specific brain regions, particularly the frontal and limbic cortices. The volume changes of gray matter (GM) of these brain regions, however, have not been identified in heroin addiction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using structural magnetic resonance imaging and an optimized voxel-based morphometry approach, the GM volume difference between 15 Chinese heroin-dependent and 15 healthy subjects was tested.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to healthy subjects, the heroin-dependent subjects had reduced GM volume in the right prefrontal cortex, left supplementary motor cortex and bilateral cingulate cortices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Frontal and cingulate atrophy may be involved in the neuropathology of heroin dependence.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Haihong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yihui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhimin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Zhening
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology*; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology*