Grey matter morphometry in young adult e-cigarette users, tobacco cigarette users & non-using controls

Kanwar Boparai ^1,2, Hsiang-Yuan Lin ^3,4, Peter Selby ^1,4,5,6

¹INTREPID Lab, IMHPR, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1025 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada.
²Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Building, Room 4207, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada.
³Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1025 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada.
⁴Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada.
⁵Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1M7, Canada.
⁶Department of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada.
⁷INTREPID Lab, IMHPR, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1025 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada. laurie.zawertailo@camh.ca.
⁸Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Building, Room 4207, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada. laurie.zawertailo@camh.ca.

⁰INTREPID Lab, IMHPR, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1025 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada.

Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology +

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March 19, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Daily tobacco cigarette smoking, but not exclusive e-cigarette use, is linked to grey matter volume reductions in young adults. This suggests factors beyond nicotine may cause brain atrophy in smokers.

Area Of Science

Neuroimaging
Neurobiology
Addiction Research

Background

Increasing prevalence of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among young adults.
Limited understanding of the neurobiological effects of daily e-cigarette use compared to traditional tobacco smoking.
Need to investigate structural brain changes associated with substance use in young populations.

Purpose Of The Study

To examine the impact of regular, exclusive e-cigarette use on grey matter morphometry in young adults (18-25 years).
To compare brain structure differences between exclusive e-cigarette users, tobacco cigarette smokers, and non-using controls.

Main Methods

Structural MRI data acquired from 78 participants across three groups: daily e-cigarette users, daily tobacco cigarette smokers, and controls.
Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) employed to assess differences in grey matter volume (GMV).
Partial correlation analyses conducted to explore associations between GMV, smoking history, and nicotine dependence.

Main Results

Tobacco cigarette smokers showed significant GMV reductions in the left fusiform gyrus (FG), left/right inferior temporal gyrus (IFG), right middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and right middle cingulate gyrus (MCG) compared to controls.
Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) GMV was reduced in tobacco smokers compared to both e-cigarette users and controls, independent of nicotine history.
In tobacco smokers, GMV in FG, IFG, MTG, and MCG negatively correlated with exposure history, not nicotine dependence; ACC GMV showed no such association.

Conclusions

Daily tobacco cigarette smoking is associated with significant grey matter volume reductions in specific brain regions in young adults.
E-cigarette use did not show similar GMV reductions, suggesting a potentially distinct neurobiological impact compared to tobacco smoking.
Findings imply that non-nicotine components of tobacco smoke or pre-existing vulnerabilities may contribute to observed brain structural differences.

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