Frontal white matter changes and aggression in methamphetamine dependence

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Chronic methamphetamine (MA) use can lead to white matter (WM) changes and increased levels of aggression. While previous studies have examined WM abnormalities relating to cognitive impairment, associations between WM integrity and aggression in MA dependence remain unclear. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) was used to investigate WM changes in 40 individuals with MA dependence and 40 matched healthy controls. A region of interest (ROI) approach using tract based spatial statistics (TBSS) in FSL was performed. We compared fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), parallel diffusivity (λ║) and perpendicular diffusivity (λ┴) in WM tracts of the frontal brain. A relationship of WM with aggression scores from the Buss & Perry Questionnaire was investigated. Mean scores for anger (p < 0.001), physical aggression (p = 0.032) and total aggression (p = 0.021) were significantly higher in the MA group relative to controls. ROI analysis showed increased MD (U = 439.5, p = 0.001) and λ┴ (U = 561.5, p = 0.021) values in the genu of the corpus callosum, and increased MD (U = 541.5, p = 0.012) values in the right cingulum in MA dependence. None of the WM changes were significantly associated with aggression scores. This study provides evidence of frontal WM changes and increased levels of aggression in individuals with MA dependence. The lack of significant associations between WM and aggressive behaviour may reflect methodological issues in measuring such behaviour, or may indicate that the neurobiology of aggression is not simply correlated with WM damage but is more complex.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)53-62
Number of pages10
JournalMetabolic Brain Disease
Volume31
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2016
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 84949941585
ORCID /0000-0002-1753-7811/work/142248175

Keywords

Keywords

  • Adolescent, Adult, Aggression/drug effects, Amphetamine-Related Disorders/pathology, Anger/drug effects, Central Nervous System Stimulants, Corpus Callosum/pathology, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Female, Frontal Lobe/drug effects, Humans, Male, Methamphetamine, White Matter/drug effects, Young Adult