Kendrick Keith M, Daumann Joerg, Wagner Daniel, Koester Philip, Tittgemeyer Marc, Luo Qiang, Gouzoulis-Mayfrank Euphrosyne, Becker Benjamin
The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Center for Information in Medicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Germany.
Psychoradiology. 2021 Mar 18;1(1):3-12. doi: 10.1093/psyrad/kkab001. eCollection 2021 Mar.
Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) have become a critical public health issue. Animal models have indicated a clear neurotoxic potential of ATSs. In humans, chronic use has been associated with cognitive deficits and structural brain abnormalities. However, cross-sectional retrospective designs in chronic users cannot truly determine the causal direction of the effects.
To prospectively determine effects of occasional ATS use on cognitive functioning and brain structure.
In a prospective longitudinal study design, cognitive functioning and brain structure were assessed at baseline and at 12-month follow-up in occasional ATS users (cumulative lifetime use <10 units at baseline).
Examination of change scores between the initial examination and follow-up revealed declined verbal memory performance and putamen volume in users with high relative to low interim ATS exposure. In the entire sample, interim ATS use, memory decline, and putamen volume reductions were strongly associated.
The present findings support the hypothesis that ATS use is associated with deficient dorsal striatal morphology that might reflect alterations in dopaminergic pathways. More importantly, these findings strongly suggest that even occasional, low-dose ATS use disrupts striatal integrity and cognitive functioning.
苯丙胺类兴奋剂（ATS）已成为一个关键的公共卫生问题。动物模型已表明ATS具有明显的神经毒性潜力。在人类中，长期使用与认知缺陷和脑结构异常有关。然而，对长期使用者的横断面回顾性设计无法真正确定这些影响的因果方向。
前瞻性地确定偶尔使用ATS对认知功能和脑结构的影响。
在一项前瞻性纵向研究设计中，对偶尔使用ATS的使用者（基线时累计终生使用量<10单位）在基线和12个月随访时进行认知功能和脑结构评估。
对初始检查和随访之间的变化分数进行检查发现，与低中期ATS暴露的使用者相比，高中期ATS暴露的使用者言语记忆表现下降，壳核体积减小。在整个样本中，中期ATS使用、记忆下降和壳核体积减小密切相关。
目前的研究结果支持以下假设，即使用ATS与背侧纹状体形态缺陷有关，这可能反映了多巴胺能通路的改变。更重要的是，这些结果强烈表明，即使是偶尔低剂量使用ATS也会破坏纹状体完整性和认知功能。
