title: Smaller amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex predict escalating stimulant use.
abstract: Drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disorder. The identification of biomarkers that render individuals vulnerable for the transition from occasional drug use to addiction is of key importance to develop early intervention strategies. The aim of the present study was to prospectively assess brain structural markers for escalating drug use in two independent samples of occasional amphetamine-type stimulant users. At baseline occasional users of amphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (cumulative lifetime use ≤10 units) underwent structural brain imaging and were followed up at 12 months and 24 months (Study 1, n = 38; Study 2, n = 28). Structural vulnerability markers for escalating amphetamine-type drug use were examined by comparing baseline grey matter volumes of participants who increased use with those who maintained or reduced use during the follow-up period. Participants in both samples who subsequently increased amphetamine-type drugs use displayed smaller medial prefrontal cortex volumes and, additionally, in the basolateral amygdala (Study 1) and dorsal striatum (Study 2). In both samples the baseline volumes were significantly negatively correlated with stimulant use during the subsequent 12 and 24 months. Additional multiple regression analyses on the pooled data sets revealed some evidence of a compound-specific association between the baseline volume of the left basolateral amygdala and the subsequent use of amphetamine. These findings indicate that smaller brain volumes in fronto-striato-limbic regions implicated in impulsivity and decision-making might render an individual vulnerable for the transition from occasional to escalating amphetamine-type stimulant use.
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Germany 2 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Germany ben_becker@gmx.de.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koester
authors.affiliation: 4 Max-Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tittgemeyer
authors.affiliation: 5 Institute of Legal Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mercer-Chalmers-Bender
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Medical Psychology, University of Bonn, Germany 2 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hurlemann
authors.affiliation: 6 Centre for Computational Systems Biology, School of Mathematical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China 7 Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing 210002, PR China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Germany 8 LVR Clinics of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Euphrosyne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gouzoulis-Mayfrank
authors.affiliation: 9 Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, PR China.
authors.forename: Keith M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kendrick
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Joerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daumann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants
keywords: addiction; biomarker; brain structure; stimulant drugs; vulnerability