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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Not lesser but Greater fractional anisotropy in adolescents with alcohol use disorders
NeuroImage: Clinical, Volume 2, No. 1, Year 2013
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Description
Objective The objective of this study is to examine white matter microstructure using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in a sample of adolescents with alcohol use disorders (AUD) and no psychiatric or substance co-morbidity. Methods Fifty adolescents with AUD and fifty non-alcohol abusing controls matched on gender and age were studied with DTI, neurocognitive testing, and a clinical assessment that included measures of alcohol use and childhood trauma. Maps of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were computed, registered to a common template, and voxel-wise statistical analysis used to assess group differences. Associations between regions of altered WM microstructure and clinical or neurocognitive measures were also assessed. Results Compared with controls, adolescent drinkers without co-morbid substance abuse or externalizing disorder, showed 1) no regions of significantly lower FA, 2) increased FA in WM tracts of the limbic system; 3) no MD differences; and 4) within the region of higher FA in AUD, there were no associations between FA and alcohol use, cognition, or trauma. Discussion The most important observation of this study is our failure to observe significantly smaller FA in this relatively large alcohol abuse/dependent adolescent sample. Greater FA in the limbic regions observed in this study may index a risk for adolescent AUD instead of a consequence of drinking. Drinking behavior may be reinforced in those with higher FA and perhaps greater myelination in these brain regions involved in reward and reinforcement. © 2013 The Authors.
Authors & Co-Authors
Cardenas, Valerie A.
United States, Honolulu
Neurobehavioral Research, Inc.
Greenstein, David
United States, Honolulu
Neurobehavioral Research, Inc.
Fouché, Jean Paul
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Ferrett, Helen L.
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Cuzen, Natalie L.
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Stein, Dan J.
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Fein, George
United States, Honolulu
Neurobehavioral Research, Inc.
Statistics
Citations: 32
Authors: 7
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.nicl.2013.06.002
e-ISSN:
22131582
Research Areas
Maternal And Child Health
Mental Health
Substance Abuse
Study Approach
Quantitative