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[Altered dynamics of brain spontaneous activity in betel quid dependence chewers]
1Department of Radiology, Hainan General Hospital (Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University), Haikou 570311, China.
Insights
Betel quid dependence (BQD) alters brain activity, showing reduced dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) in prefrontal regions. These changes in brain function highlight potential neurological impacts of BQD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Betel quid dependence (BQD) is a significant public health concern.
- Understanding the neural underpinnings of BQD is crucial for developing effective interventions.
- Previous research has explored structural and functional brain changes in BQD, but dynamic activity patterns require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamic characteristics of brain spontaneous activity in betel quid dependence (BQD) chewers.
- To examine the relationship between altered brain activity and clinical indicators of BQD, such as dependence score and disease duration.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was employed in 53 BQD chewers and 37 healthy controls (HC).
- Dynamic functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) indexes, including dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and degree centrality (DC), were calculated using a sliding time window method.
- Pearson correlation analyses were performed to assess relationships between dynamic indexes and clinical measures.
Main Results:
- BQD chewers exhibited decreased dynamic ALFF in the left orbital prefrontal cortex, right temporal pole superior temporal gyrus, and right inferior parietal lobule compared to HC.
- Reduced dynamic ReHo was observed in BQD chewers in regions including the orbital prefrontal cortex, right inferior frontal gyrus, and left superior frontal gyrus.
- An increase in dynamic ReHo was noted in the right precuneus of BQD chewers, while no significant differences in dynamic DC were found between groups.
Conclusions:
- Betel quid dependence is associated with significant alterations in the dynamic characteristics of spontaneous brain activity, particularly in prefrontal cortical regions.
- These findings suggest that BQD affects brain network function, characterized by decreased ALFF and ReHo in key areas.
- The study highlights the utility of dynamic fMRI measures in characterizing the neurobiological impact of betel quid dependence.
Abstract:
Objective: To investigate the dynamic characteristics of brain spontaneous activity in betel quid dependence (BQD) chewers and its relationship with clinical indexes. Method: This study was conducted in Hainan General Hospital from April to December 2019 and the data of 53 BQD chewers (37 males and 16 females, aged 20 to 58(38±11) years) and 37 healthy controls (HC) (24 males and 13 females, aged 23-57(42±12) years) were collected. All these subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan. The dynamic characteristics of resting fMRI indexes, including dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and degree centrality (DC) of these subjects were calculated using the sliding time window method, parameters such as age and dynamic local consistency were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between dynamic indexes, betel quid dependence score (BQDS) and disease duration in BQD group. Results: BQD chewers showed decreased dynamic ALFF in the left orbital prefrontal cortex (0.138±0.041 vs 0.171±0.070), the right temporal pole superior temporal gyrus (0.277±0.070 vs 0.319±0.086) and the right inferior parietal lobule (0.223±0.052 vs 0.259±0.088) than HC (all P<0.05). For regional homogeneity, BQD chewers showed a decrease dynamic ReHo in the right inferior temporal gyrus (0.055±0.008 vs 0.061±0.009), the orbital prefrontal cortex (0.058±0.005 vs 0.063±0.008), the right inferior frontal gyrus (0.081±0.006 vs 0.087±0.011), the right superior occipital gyrus (0.056±0.007 vs 0.062±0.008), the left precentral gyrus (0.068±0.008 vs 0.074±0.008), and the left superior frontal gyrus (0.058±0.008 vs 0.064±0.009) than HC (all P<0.05). BQD chewers showed an increase dynamic ReHo in the right precuneus (0.095±0.009 vs 0.089±0.008) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in DC between the two groups (all P>0.05). The relationships between three dynamic ALFF and BQDS (r=-0.104, -0.015, -0.119), seven dynamic ReHo and BQDS (r=-0.099, -0.141, -0.055, -0.078, -0.027, -0.111, -0.090), three dynamic ALFF and disease duration (r=-0.122, -0.095, -0.171), and seven dynamic ReHo and disease duration (r=0.242, -0.252, 0.035, 0.056, 0.047, 0.081, 0.169) were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). Conclusions: BQD chewers showed a decrease dynamic ReHo and/or ALFF in multiple brain regions dominated by prefrontal cortex, and an increase dynamic ReHo in the right precuneus.
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