Cocaine addiction: diffusion tensor imaging study of the inferior frontal and anterior cingulate white matter

Inferior frontal and anterior cingulate white matter integrity in 32 cocaine-dependent subjects was compared with that in 33 age-matched healthy control subjects. Diffusion tensor imaging data were acquired with a 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging system. Cocaine-dependent subjects presented significantly lower fractional anisotropy values in inferior frontal white matter at the anterior-posterior commissure plane and higher anterior cingulate white matter values than control subjects. White matter integrity was also associated with impulsivity and motivation to change (Readiness to Change Questionnaire). These findings support the hypothesis that cocaine dependence involves a disruption of orbitofrontal connectivity and suggest that the anterior cingulate brain area might play a role in the motivation to change.