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Cortical Morphology in Cannabis Use Disorder: Implications for Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Treatment
Ghazaleh Soleimani1, Farzad Towhidkhah1, Mehrdad Saviz1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Basic and Clinical Neuroscience
|April 17, 2024
Summary
Brain structure changes in cannabis use disorder (CUD) alter transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) electric fields (EFs). Computational models revealed differences in EFs and brain morphology between CUD patients and healthy controls, impacting stimulation effectiveness.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
- Computational Modeling
Background:
- Substance use disorders (SUDs) can alter brain structure, potentially affecting the electric field (EF) distribution of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).
- Quantitative group-level analysis of EF and its association with cortical architecture in SUDs is lacking.
- This study introduces a methodology for analyzing computational head models to assess the impact of cortical morphology on tDCS-induced EFs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate group-level differences in tDCS-induced EFs and their association with cortical architecture in individuals with cannabis use disorder (CUD) compared to healthy controls (HC).
- To model the influence of structural alterations on EF distribution using individualized computational head models.
Main Methods:
- Whole-brain surface-based morphology analysis comparing cortical thickness, volume, and surface area between 20 individuals with CUD and 22 age-matched HC.
- Simulation of bilateral tDCS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex using individualized computational head models.
- Investigation of the effects of structural alterations on EF distribution.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in EFs was found within the prefrontal cortex between CUD and HC groups.
- Significant differences in EFs were observed in the left-postcentral and right-superior temporal gyrus, with higher variance in the CUD group.
- Significant differences in cortical area, thickness, and volume were found in specific brain regions between the CUD and HC groups.
Conclusions:
- Brain morphology and tDCS-induced EFs may be altered in individuals with CUD.
- Differences in EFs between CUD and HC groups do not consistently overlap with brain areas showing structural alterations.
- Further investigation is needed to determine if individuals with CUD require different tDCS stimulation doses based on target location for effective modulation.
