Larger Gray Matter Volume in the Basal Ganglia of Heavy Cannabis Users Detected by Voxel-Based Morphometry and Subcortical Volumetric Analysis

Frontiers in Psychiatry
Ana Moreno-AlcázarEdith Pomarol-Clotet

Abstract

Background: Structural imaging studies of cannabis users have found evidence of both cortical and subcortical volume reductions, especially in cannabinoid receptor-rich regions such as the hippocampus and amygdala. However, the findings have not been consistent. In the present study, we examined a sample of adult heavy cannabis users without other substance abuse to determine whether long-term use is associated with brain structural changes, especially in the subcortical regions. Method: We compared the gray matter volume of 14 long-term, heavy cannabis users with non-using controls. To provide robust findings, we conducted two separate studies using two different MRI techniques. Each study used the same sample of cannabis users and a different control group, respectively. Both control groups were independent of each other. First, whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to compare the cannabis users against 28 matched controls (HC1 group). Second, a volumetric analysis of subcortical regions was performed to assess differences between the cannabis users and a sample of 100 matched controls (HC2 group) obtained from a local database of healthy volunteers. Results: The VBM study revealed that, compared to the control g...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 1, 2019·The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse·Alison C BurggrenEdythe D London
Feb 2, 2019·European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience·Valentina LorenzettiCarl A Roberts
Apr 28, 2019·Journal of Neurovirology·Erin E O'ConnorThomas Zeffiro
Apr 1, 2021·Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines·Ting LiBarbara Franke
Sep 16, 2021·Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research·Hollis C KarolyKent E Hutchison

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Software Mentioned

FIRST
FNIRT
FMRIB
SIENAX
VBM
FSLView
MRIcron
FSL
FLIRT

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