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. 2007 Feb 23;87(1):76-82.
doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2006.08.003. Epub 2006 Sep 6.

Non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers: effects of chronic cigarette smoking on brain structure

Timothy C Durazzo  1 , Valerie A Cardenas, Colin Studholme, Michael W Weiner, Dieter J Meyerhoff
Affiliations

Non-treatment-seeking heavy drinkers: effects of chronic cigarette smoking on brain structure

Timothy C Durazzo et al. Drug Alcohol Depend. .

Abstract

We previously reported [Cardenas, V.A., Studholme, C., Meyerhoff, D.J., Song, E., Weiner, M.W., 2005. Chronic active heavy drinking and family history of problem drinking modulate regional brain tissue volumes. Psychiatry Res. 138, 115-130] that non-treatment-seeking, active heavy drinkers (HD) demonstrated smaller regional neocortical gray matter volumes compared to light drinking controls; however, the potential effects of chronic cigarette smoking on regional brain volumes were not addressed. The goal of this retrospective analysis was to determine if chronic smoking affected brain structure in the non-treatment-seeking heavy drinking sample from our earlier report (i.e., Cardenas et al., 2005). Regional volumetric comparisons were made among age-matched smoking HD (n=17), non-smoking HD (n=16), and non-smoking light drinkers (nsLD; n=20) from our original sample. Quantitative volumetric measures of neocortical gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), subcortical structures, and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) were derived from high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging. Smoking HD demonstrated smaller volumes than nsLD in the frontal, parietal, temporal GM, and for total neocortical GM. Smoking HD also demonstrated smaller temporal and total GM volumes than non-smoking HD. Non-smoking HD and nsLD did not differ significantly on GM volumes. Further, the three groups did not differ on lobar WM, subcortical structures or regional CSF volumes. These retrospective analyses indicate neocortical GM volume reductions in non-treatment-seeking smoking HD, but not in non-smoking HD, which are consistent with our studies in recently detoxified treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent samples.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Frontal GM volume standardized to intracranial volume for nsLD, sHD, and nsHD; ICV, intracranial volume (mean and standard error).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Parietal GM volume standardized to intracranial volume for nsLD, sHD, and nsHD; ICV, intracranial volume (mean and standard error).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Temporal GM volume standardized to intracranial volume for nsLD, sHD, and nsHD; ICV, intracranial volume (mean and standard error).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Total cortical GM volume standardized to intracranial volume for nsLD, sHD, and nsHD; ICV, intracranial volume (mean and standard error).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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