Zerekidze Ani, Li Meng, Javaheripour Nooshin, Huff Laura, Weiss Thomas, Walter Martin, Wagner Gerd
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, 07743 Jena, Germany.
Department of Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany.
Brain Sci. 2023 Jan 24;13(2):197. doi: 10.3390/brainsci13020197.
Impaired cognitive and behavioral control has often been observed in people who use methamphetamine (MA). However, a comprehensive understanding of the neural substrates underlying these impairments is still lacking. The goal of the present study was to study the neural correlates of impaired cognitive control in individuals with MA dependence according to DSM-IV criteria. Eighteen individuals with MA dependence and 21 healthy controls were investigated using Stroop task, fMRI, and an impulsivity questionnaire. Overall, patients were found to have significantly poorer accuracy on the Stroop task and higher self-rated impulsivity. Comparing brain activations during the task, decreased activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC), and dorsal striatum was observed in individuals with MA dependence, compared to healthy controls. Altered fMRI signal in DLPFC and aMCC significantly correlated with impaired behavioral task performance in individuals with MA dependence. Furthermore, significantly lower and pronounced brain activations in the MA group were additionally detected in several sensory cortical regions, i.e., in the visual, auditory, and somatosensory cortices. The results of the current study provide evidence for the negative impact of chronic crystal meth consumption on the proper functioning of the fronto-cingulate and striatal brain regions, presumably underlying the often-observed deficits in executive functions in individuals with MA use disorder. As a new finding, we also revealed abnormal activation in several sensory brain regions, suggesting the negative effect of MA use on the proper neural activity of these regions. This blunted activation could be the cause of the observed deficits in executive functions and the associated altered brain activation in higher-level brain networks.
在使用甲基苯丙胺（MA）的人群中，常观察到认知和行为控制受损。然而，对于这些损伤背后的神经基础仍缺乏全面的了解。本研究的目的是根据《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》第四版标准，研究MA依赖个体认知控制受损的神经关联。使用Stroop任务、功能磁共振成像（fMRI）和冲动性问卷对18名MA依赖个体和21名健康对照者进行了调查。总体而言，发现患者在Stroop任务中的准确性显著较差，且自我评定的冲动性较高。比较任务期间的大脑激活情况，与健康对照者相比，MA依赖个体的背外侧前额叶皮质（DLPFC）、前扣带回中部皮质（aMCC）和背侧纹状体的激活减少。DLPFC和aMCC中功能磁共振成像信号的改变与MA依赖个体的行为任务表现受损显著相关。此外，在MA组中，还在几个感觉皮层区域，即视觉、听觉和体感皮层中检测到显著更低且明显的大脑激活。本研究结果为长期吸食冰毒对额扣带回和纹状体脑区正常功能的负面影响提供了证据，这可能解释了MA使用障碍个体中经常观察到的执行功能缺陷。作为一项新发现，我们还揭示了几个感觉脑区的异常激活，表明MA使用对这些区域正常神经活动的负面影响。这种激活减弱可能是观察到的执行功能缺陷以及高级脑网络中相关脑激活改变的原因。
