Sex-dependent prefrontal cortex activation in regular cocaine users: A working memory functional magnetic resonance...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Cocaine use disorder (CUD) disproportionately affects females, yet sex differences in its neurobiology are understudied.
• Prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction is linked to the transition from recreational cocaine use to CUD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore sex-dependent differences in PFC functioning during working memory (WM) tasks in individuals with and without CUD.
• To investigate the relationship between PFC activation, sex, and cocaine use severity.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure neural activation during an n-back task.
• Participants included male and female cocaine users (CUs) and non-cocaine users (non-CUs).

Main Results:

• No significant sex or group differences in n-back task performance were observed.
• Female CUs exhibited higher WM-related middle frontal gyrus (MFG) activation compared to male CUs.
• Female non-CUs showed lower WM-related MFG activation than male non-CUs.
• WM-related activation in the inferior frontal gyrus, insula, and putamen was negatively associated with cocaine use severity in females only.

Conclusions:

• Findings support sex-dependent PFC differences in CUD.
• PFC deficits may play a more significant role in the development, maintenance, and treatment of CUD in females.
• Emphasizes the critical need to include both sexes in psychiatric research to avoid biased understanding of disorders like CUD.