title: Alterations in Brain Structure and Functional Connectivity in Alcohol Dependent Patients and Possible Association with Impulsivity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have documented that heightened impulsivity likely contributes to the development and maintenance of alcohol use disorders. However, there is still a lack of studies that comprehensively detected the brain changes associated with abnormal impulsivity in alcohol addicts. This study was designed to investigate the alterations in brain structure and functional connectivity associated with abnormal impulsivity in alcohol dependent patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Brain structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging data as well as impulsive behavior data were collected from 20 alcohol dependent patients and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls respectively. Voxel-based morphometry was used to investigate the differences of grey matter volume, and tract-based spatial statistics was used to detect abnormal white matter regions between alcohol dependent patients and healthy controls. The alterations in resting-state functional connectivity in alcohol dependent patients were examined using selected brain areas with gray matter deficits as seed regions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with healthy controls, alcohol dependent patients had significantly reduced gray matter volume in the mesocorticolimbic system including the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, the medial prefrontal cortex, the orbitofrontal cortex and the putamen, decreased fractional anisotropy in the regions connecting the damaged grey matter areas driven by higher radial diffusivity value in the same areas and decreased resting-state functional connectivity within the reward network. Moreover, the gray matter volume of the left medial prefrontal cortex exhibited negative correlations with various impulse indices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that chronic alcohol dependence could cause a complex neural changes linked to abnormal impulsivity.
authors: Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing, China.|Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.|Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health, Beijing, China.
authors: Junkai
authors: J
authors: Wang
authors: Beijing Hui-Long-Guan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors: Yunli
authors: Y
authors: Fan
authors: Department of Magnetic Resonance, General Hospital of Armed Police Forces, Beijing, China.
authors: Yue
authors: Y
authors: Dong
authors: Beijing Hui-Long-Guan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors: Mengying
authors: M
authors: Ma
authors: Department of Magnetic Resonance, General Hospital of Armed Police Forces, Beijing, China.
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Ma
authors: Department of Magnetic Resonance, General Hospital of Armed Police Forces, Beijing, China.
authors: Yuru
authors: Y
authors: Dong
authors: Beijing Hui-Long-Guan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors: Yajuan
authors: Y
authors: Niu
authors: Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Laboratory, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
authors: Yin
authors: Y
authors: Jiang
authors: Department of Magnetic Resonance, General Hospital of Armed Police Forces, Beijing, China.
authors: Hong
authors: H
authors: Wang
authors: Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing, China.|Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.|Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health, Beijing, China.
authors: Zhiyan
authors: Z
authors: Wang
authors: Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing, China.|Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.|Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health, Beijing, China.
authors: Liuzhen
authors: L
authors: Wu
authors: Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health and Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors: Hongqiang
authors: H
authors: Sun
authors: Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing, China.|Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.|Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health, Beijing, China.
authors: Cailian
authors: C
authors: Cui
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D066127:White Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology