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Association between white matter microstructure and cognitive function in patients with methamphetamine use disorder

Yanan Zhou1,2, Yang Hu3, Qianjin Wang1

  • 1National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and Department of Psychiatry, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.

Human Brain Mapping
|July 15, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) is linked to cognitive deficits. This study found white matter changes in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus, particularly higher radial diffusivity, predict poorer processing speed and problem-solving in MUD patients.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Radiology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) is associated with significant neurocognitive impairments.
  • The precise neuropathological basis of these cognitive deficits in MUD remains unclear.
  • Existing diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies correlating diffusion parameters with neurocognitive function in MUD are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between cognitive performance and white matter microstructure in individuals with MUD.
  • To identify specific DTI metrics and white matter tracts related to neurocognitive deficits in MUD.
  • To explore potential neuroimaging biomarkers for MUD-related cognitive impairments.

Main Methods:

  • Forty-five MUD patients and 43 healthy controls (HCs) underwent cognitive assessments (MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery) and DTI.
  • DTI data were processed to extract fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) from various white matter tracts.
  • Univariate tests and linear regression analyses were employed to compare groups and examine relationships between DTI metrics and cognitive scores.

Main Results:

  • MUD patients exhibited lower scores in processing speed, attention, verbal learning, visual learning, and problem-solving compared to HCs.
  • Patients with MUD showed significantly higher AD, MD, and RD values in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF).
  • Radial diffusivity (RD) in the left SLF significantly predicted processing speed and problem-solving abilities.

Conclusions:

  • This study highlights alterations in white matter microstructure, specifically the left SLF, associated with neurocognitive deficits in MUD.
  • Increased radial diffusivity in the left SLF serves as a potential imaging biomarker for impaired processing speed and problem-solving in MUD.
  • These findings enhance understanding of MUD's neuropathology and suggest targets for intervention.
Keywords:
diffusion tensor imagingmethamphetamine use disorderneurocognitionproblem solvingprocessing speedsuperior longitudinal fasciculuswhite matter

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