title: Alterations in interhemispheric functional and anatomical connectivity are associated with tobacco smoking in humans.
abstract: Abnormal interhemispheric functional connectivity correlates with several neurologic and psychiatric conditions, including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and stroke. Abnormal interhemispheric functional connectivity also correlates with abuse of cannabis and cocaine. In the current report, we evaluated whether tobacco abuse (i.e., cigarette smoking) is associated with altered interhemispheric connectivity. To that end, we examined resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in short term tobacco deprived and smoking as usual tobacco smokers, and in non-smoker controls. Additionally, we compared diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in the same subjects to study differences in white matter. The data reveal a significant increase in interhemispheric functional connectivity in sated tobacco smokers when compared to controls. This difference was larger in frontal regions, and was positively correlated with the average number of cigarettes smoked per day. In addition, we found a negative correlation between the number of DTI streamlines in the genual corpus callosum and the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Taken together, our results implicate changes in interhemispheric functional and anatomical connectivity in current cigarette smokers.
authors: Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA.
authors: Humsini
authors: H
authors: Viswanath
authors: Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA.
authors: Kenia M
authors: KM
authors: Velasquez
authors: Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA.
authors: Daisy Gemma Yan
authors: DG
authors: Thompson-Lake
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA.
authors: Ricky
authors: R
authors: Savjani
authors: Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA.
authors: Asasia Q
authors: AQ
authors: Carter
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Eagleman
authors: Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA.
authors: Philip R
authors: PR
authors: Baldwin
authors: Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA ; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA.
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: De La Garza
authors: Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA.
authors: Ramiro
authors: R
authors: Salas
keywords: corpus callosum; diffusion tensor imaging; interhemispheric connectivity; resting state functional connectivity; tobacco smoking