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.