Chronic Cigarette Smoking in Healthy Middle-Aged Individuals Is Associated With Decreased Regional Brain N-acetylaspartate and Glutamate Levels

Timothy C Durazzo; Dieter J Meyerhoff; Anderson Mon; Christoph Abé; Stefan Gazdzinski; Donna E Murray

doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.03.029

Chronic Cigarette Smoking in Healthy Middle-Aged Individuals Is Associated With Decreased Regional Brain N-acetylaspartate and Glutamate Levels

Biol Psychiatry. 2016 Mar 15;79(6):481-8. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.03.029. Epub 2015 Apr 9.

Authors

Timothy C Durazzo¹, Dieter J Meyerhoff², Anderson Mon², Christoph Abé², Stefan Gazdzinski², Donna E Murray²

Affiliations

¹ Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Francisco, California.; Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, California.. Electronic address: timothy.durazzo@ucsf.edu.
² Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Francisco, California.; Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, California.

Abstract

Background: Cigarette smoking is associated with metabolite abnormalities in anterior brain regions, but it is unclear if these abnormalities are apparent in other regions. Additionally, relationships between regional brain metabolite levels and measures of decision making, risk taking, and impulsivity in smokers and nonsmokers have not been investigated.

Methods: In young to middle-aged (predominately male) nonsmokers (n = 30) and smokers (n = 35), N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline-containing compounds, creatine-containing compounds (Cr), myo-inositol (mI), and glutamate (Glu) levels in the anterior cingulate cortex and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) were compared via 4-tesla proton single volume magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Groups also were compared on NAA, choline-containing compounds, Cr, and mI concentrations in the gray matter and white matter of the four cerebral lobes and subcortical nuclei/regions with 1.5-tesla proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Associations of regional metabolite levels with neurocognitive, decision-making, risk-taking, and self-reported impulsivity measures were examined.

Results: Smokers showed lower DLPFC NAA, Cr, mI and Glu concentrations and lower lenticular nuclei NAA level; smokers also demonstrated greater age-related decreases of DLPFC NAA and anterior cingulate cortex and DLPFC Glu levels. Smokers exhibited poorer decision making and greater impulsivity. Across the sample, higher NAA and Glu in the DLPFC and NAA concentrations in multiple lobar gray matter and white matter regions and subcortical nuclei were associated with better neurocognition and lower impulsivity.

Conclusions: This study provides additional novel evidence that chronic smoking in young and middle-aged individuals is associated with significant age-related neurobiological abnormalities in anterior frontal regions implicated in the development and maintenance of addictive disorders.

Keywords: Brain metabolites; Cigarette smoking; Decision making and impulsivity; Magnetic resonance; Neurocognition; Spectroscopy.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Adult
Aspartic Acid / analogs & derivatives*
Aspartic Acid / chemistry
Cognition
Decision Making
Female
Glutamic Acid / chemistry*
Gyrus Cinguli / chemistry
Healthy Volunteers
Humans
Impulsive Behavior
Inositol / chemistry
Linear Models
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Male
Middle Aged
Prefrontal Cortex / chemistry*
Risk-Taking
Smoking / physiopathology*

Substances

Aspartic Acid
Glutamic Acid
Inositol
N-acetylaspartate

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding