title: Structural deficits in the emotion circuit and cerebellum are associated with depression, anxiety and cognitive dysfunction in methadone maintenance patients: a voxel-based morphometric study.
abstract: Heroin users on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) have elevated rates of co-morbid depression and are associated with have higher relapse rates for substance abuse. Structural abnormalities in MMT patients have been reported, but their impact on clinical performance is unknown. We investigated differences in gray matter volume (GMV) between 27 MMT patients and 23 healthy controls with voxel-based morphometry, and we correlated findings in the patients with Beck Depression Inventory scores, Beck Anxiety Inventory scores, and diminished cognitive functioning. MMT patients exhibited higher emotional deficits than healthy subjects. There was significantly smaller GMV in multiple cortices, especially in the left inferior frontal gyrus and left cerebellar vermis in the MMT group. The smaller GMV in the pre-frontal cortices, left sub-callosal cingulate gyrus, left post-central gyrus, left insula, and right cerebellar declive correlated with higher depression scores. The smaller GMV in the pre-frontal cortices, left sub-callosal cingulate gyrus, and left postcentral gyrus also correlated with higher anxiety scores, while smaller GMV in the cerebellum and bilateral insula was associated with impaired performance on tests of executive function. These results reveal that MMT patients have low GMV in brain regions that are hypothesized to influence cognition and emotion, and the GMV findings might be involved comorbid disorders in the MMT group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Che
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Kun-Hsien
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Hsiu-Ling
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chu-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Cheng-Hsien
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Shau-Hsuan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ya-Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yu-Fan
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Ching-Po
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chien-Chih
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D058850:Opiate Substitution Treatment; D012016:Reference Values; D055815:Young Adult