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Rich club and reward network connectivity as endophenotypes for alcohol dependence: a diffusion tensor imaging study
Nabi Zorlu1, Necip Çapraz2, Esra Oztekin1
1Department of Psychiatry, Katip Celebi University, Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, Turkey.
Addiction Biology
|December 28, 2017
Summary
Individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and their siblings show altered brain connectivity, particularly in reward system networks. These findings suggest familial links to AUD may involve specific brain structural differences.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Systems Neuroscience
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex condition with genetic and environmental influences.
- Understanding the neural underpinnings of AUD, especially familial predispositions, is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whole-brain white matter connectivity and local network topology of reward system nodes in individuals with AUD, their unaffected siblings, and healthy controls.
- To identify neurobiological markers associated with familial risk for AUD.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) scans were acquired from 18 AUD patients, 15 unaffected siblings, and 15 healthy controls.
- Structural brain networks were analyzed using connectomic analysis and network-based statistics.
- Key reward system nodes, including the caudate, putamen, and hippocampus, were examined for nodal clustering coefficient and local efficiency.
Main Results:
- A significant ordered difference in normalized rich-club organization was observed: AUD < Siblings < Controls.
- Rank-ordered differences (Control > Sibling > AUD) were found for nodal clustering coefficient and local efficiency in reward system nodes (left caudate, right putamen, left hippocampus).
- Network-based statistics revealed significantly weaker right-hemisphere connectivity in the AUD group compared to controls, particularly involving the putamen and hippocampus.
Conclusions:
- Abnormalities in reward system network organization, including impaired rich-club organization and reduced nodal efficiency, are present in individuals with AUD and their siblings.
- These findings suggest that alterations in subcortical reward circuitry and network topology may contribute to the familial predisposition for AUD.
- The study highlights potential neuroimaging biomarkers for familial risk in alcohol use disorder.
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