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ABSTRACT
Background: While research has examined brain structure in individuals who use alcohol or nicotine, heavy drinking smokers comprise a unique subpopulation of substance users for whom less is known about the relationship between alcohol or nicotine use and structural brain abnormalities. Objectives: The present study examined gray matter morphometry in a sample of 39 heavy drinking smokers (24 males, 15 females) in relation to alcohol and nicotine dependence and quantity of use. Methods: Traditional voxel-based morphometry techniques were employed for preprocessing of imaging data. One multiple regression analysis for alcohol and nicotine dependence severity and another for alcohol and nicotine quantity of use were conducted, while controlling for age, gender, and total intracranial volume (ICV). Results: Alcohol dependence severity was significantly negatively associated with gray matter density in the hypothalamus (p < 0.001, uncorrected) and the right superior frontal gyrus (p < 0.001, uncorrected), while controlling for nicotine dependence severity, age, gender, and ICV. There were no significant relationships observed with respect to nicotine dependence severity, the quantity of alcohol use, or the quantity of nicotine use variables and gray matter density. Conclusions: These findings suggest that within heavy drinking smokers, alcohol dependence severity is significantly related to alterations in brain structure, while this effect is not seen for the quantity of alcohol or nicotine use, or severity of nicotine dependence. The current findings help clarify the contribution of alcohol and nicotine effects on brain structure, which could aid in understanding their neurocognitive consequences in heavy drinking smokers.
Funding
This research was supported by grants from the California Tobacco Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP 18KT-0020), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA030898), and the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), grants UL1RR033176 and UL1TR000124 to LAR, as well as a training grant by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (T32 DA024635, PI: London). LAR is a paid consultant for GSK.