title: Bilateral fronto-parietal integrity in young chronic cigarette smokers: a diffusion tensor imaging study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cigarette 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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using 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).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We 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.
authors: Mental Health Institute, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, People's Republic of China.
authors: Yanhui
authors: Y
authors: Liao
authors: Jinsong
authors: J
authors: Tang
authors: Qijian
authors: Q
authors: Deng
authors: Yongwen
authors: Y
authors: Deng
authors: Tao
authors: T
authors: Luo
authors: Xuyi
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Hongxian
authors: H
authors: Chen
authors: Tieqiao
authors: T
authors: Liu
authors: Xiaogang
authors: X
authors: Chen
authors: Arthur L
authors: AL
authors: Brody
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Hao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult