title: Brain-volume changes in young and middle-aged smokers: a DARTEL-based voxel-based morphometry study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many studies have reported brain volume changes in smokers. However, the volume differences of grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM) in young and middle-aged male smokers with different lifetime tobacco consumption (pack-years) remain uncertain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the brain volume change, especially whether more pack-years smoking would be associated with smaller gray matter and white matter volume in young and middle-aged male smokers.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a 3T MR scanner and performed Diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponentiated lie algebra (DARTEL)-based voxel-based morphometry on 53 long-term male smokers (30.72 ± 4.19 years) and 53 male healthy non-smokers (30.83 ± 5.18 years). We separated smokers to light and heavy smokers by pack-years and compared brain volume between different smoker groups and non-smokers. And then we did analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) between smokers and non-smokers by setting pack-years as covariates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Light and heavy smokers all displayed smaller GM and WM volume than non-smokers and more obviously in heavy smokers. The main smaller areas in light and heavy smokers were superior temporal gyrus, insula, middle occipital gyrus, posterior cingulate, precuneus in GM and posterior cingulate, thalamus and midbrain in WM, in addition, we also observed more pack-years smoking was associated with some certain smaller GM and WM volumes by ANCOVA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Young and middle-aged male smokers had many smaller brain areas than non-smokers. Some of these areas' volume had negative correlation with pack-years, while some had not. These may due to different pathophysiological role of smokings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhenchang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Beijing Chao-yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center, Beijing Chao-yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shuilian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Beijing Chao-yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shuangkun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Tobacco Medicine and Tobacco Cessation Center, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D000074285:Smokers; D064424:Tobacco Use / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000639:trends; D066127:White Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: DARTEL; addiction; magnetic resonance imaging; morphometry; smoking; voxel-based