Overnight Abstinence Is Associated With Smaller Secondary Somatosensory Cortical Volumes and Higher Somatosensory-Motor Cortical Functional Connectivity in Cigarette Smokers

© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco..

INTRODUCTION: Abstinence symptoms present challenges to successful cessation of cigarette smoking. Chronic exposure to nicotine and long-term nicotine abstinence are associated with alterations in cortical and subcortical gray matter volumes (GMVs).

AIMS AND METHODS: We aimed at examining changes in regional GMVs following overnight abstinence and how these regional functions relate to abstinence symptoms. Here, in a sample of 31 regular smokers scanned both in a satiety state and after overnight abstinence, we employed voxel-wise morphometry and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) to investigate these issues. We processed imaging data with published routines and evaluated the results with a corrected threshold.

RESULTS: Smokers showed smaller GMVs of the left ventral hippocampus and right secondary somatosensory cortex (SII) after overnight abstinence as compared to satiety. The GMV alterations in right SII were positively correlated with changes in withdrawal symptom severity between states. Furthermore, right SII rsFC with the precentral gyrus was stronger in abstinence as compared to satiety. The inter-regional rsFC was positively correlated with motor impulsivity and withdrawal symptom severity during abstinence and negatively with craving to smoke during satiety.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight for the first time the effects of overnight abstinence on cerebral volumetrics and changes in functional connectivity of a higher-order sensory cortex. These changes may dispose smokers to impulsive behaviors and aggravate the urge to smoke at the earliest stage of withdrawal from nicotine.

IMPLICATIONS: Overnight abstinence leads to changes in gray matter volumes and functional connectivity of the second somatosensory cortex in cigarette smokers. Higher somatosensory and motor cortical connectivity in abstinence is significantly correlated with trait motor impulsivity and withdrawal symptom severity. The findings add to the literature of neural markers of nicotine addiction.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2022

Erschienen:

2022

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:24

Enthalten in:

Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco - 24(2022), 12 vom: 12. Nov., Seite 1889-1897

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Chen, Yu [VerfasserIn]
Dhingra, Isha [VerfasserIn]
Chaudhary, Shefali [VerfasserIn]
Fucito, Lisa [VerfasserIn]
Li, Chiang-Shan R [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

6M3C89ZY6R
Journal Article
Nicotine
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 15.11.2022

Date Revised 25.03.2023

published: Print

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1093/ntr/ntac168

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM343172763