White-matter abnormalities in adolescents with long-term inhalant and cannabis use: a diffusion magnetic resonance imaging study

Abstract

Background: There is growing evidence that inhalants are neurotoxic to white matter, yet limited work has been conducted to investigate the neurobiologic effects of long-term exposure among adolescent users, despite inhalant use being most prominent during this developmental period.

Methods: We used diffusion tensor imaging to examine white-matter integrity in 11 adolescents who used inhalants, 11 matched cannabis users and 8 drug-naive controls.

Results: Although both groups of drug users had white-matter abnormalities (i.e., lower fractional anisotropy), abnormalities were more pronounced in the inhalant group, particularly among early-onset users.

Limitations: The findings of this study should be considered in light of its small sample size, cross-sectional design and the complex psychosocial background of long-term inhalant users.

Conclusion: White-matter abnormalities may underpin long-term behavioural and mental health problems seen in individuals with long-term inhalant use.

Fig. 1

(A) Tract-based spatial statistics skeleton used for fractional anisotropy analyses and (B) group differences for controls versus cannabis users, (C) inhalant users versus controls and (E) inhalent users versus cannabis users. Also shown are the (D) age-dependent effects on fractional anisotropy in the inhalant group. Some regions that were not statistically significant are shown here for display purposes.