Albert Bellmunt-Gil, Victor Vorobyev, Riitta Parkkola, Jyrki Lötjönen, Juho Joutsa, Valtteri Kaasinen
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Changes in brain structural connections appear to be important in the pathophysiology of substance use disorders, but their role in behavioral addictions, such as gambling disorder (GD), is unclear. GD also offers a model to study addiction mechanisms without pharmacological confounding factors. Here, we used multimodal MRI data to examine the integrity of white matter connections in individuals with GD. We hypothesized that the affected areas would be in the fronto-striatal-thalamic circuit.
Methods: Twenty individuals with GD (mean age: 64 years, GD duration: 15.7 years) and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent detailed clinical examinations together with brain 3T MRI scans (T1, T2, FLAIR and DWI). White matter (WM) analysis involved fractional anisotropy and lesion load, while gray matter (GM) analysis included voxel- and surface-based morphometry. These measures were compared between groups, and correlations with GD-related behavioral characteristics were examined.
Results: Individuals with GD showed reduced WM integrity in the left and right frontal parts of the corona radiata and corpus callosum (pFWE < 0.05). WM gambling symptom severity (SOGS score) was negatively associated to WM integrity in these areas within the left hemisphere (p < 0.05). Individuals with GD also exhibited higher WM lesion load in the left anterior corona radiata (pFWE < 0.05). GM volume in the left thalamus and GM thickness in the left orbitofrontal cortex were reduced in the GD group (pFWE < 0.05).
Conclusions: Similar to substance addictions, the fronto-striatal-thalamic circuit is also affected in GD, suggesting that this circuitry may have a crucial role in addictions, independent of pharmacological substances.
期刊介绍:
The aim of Journal of Behavioral Addictions is to create a forum for the scientific information exchange with regard to behavioral addictions. The journal is a broad focused interdisciplinary one that publishes manuscripts on different approaches of non-substance addictions, research reports focusing on the addictive patterns of various behaviors, especially disorders of the impulsive-compulsive spectrum, and also publishes reviews in these topics. Coverage ranges from genetic and neurobiological research through psychological and clinical psychiatric approaches to epidemiological, sociological and anthropological aspects.