Profiling functional networks identify activation of corticostriatal connectivity in ET patients after MRgFUS thalamotomy.

BACKGROUND: MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy is a novel and effective treatment for medication-refractory tremor in essential tremor (ET), but how the brain responds to this deliberate lesion is not clear. OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to evaluate the immediate and longitudinal alterations of functional networks after MRgFUS thalamotomy. METHODS: We retrospectively obtained preoperative and postoperative 30-day, 90-day, and 180-day data of 31 ET patients subjected with MRgFUS thalamotomy from 2018 to 2020. Their archived resting-state functional MRI data were used for functional network comparison as well as graph-theory metrics analysis. Both partial least squares (PLS) regression and linear regression were conducted to associate functional features to tremor symptoms. RESULTS: MRgFUS thalamotomy dramatically abolished tremors, while global functional network only sustained immediate fluctuation within one week after the surgery. Network-based statistics have identified a long-term enhanced corticostriatal subnetwork by comparison between 180-day and preoperative data (P = 0.019). Within this subnetwork, network degree, global efficiency and transitivity were significantly recovered in ET patients right after MRgFUS thalamotomy compared to the pre-operative timepoint (P < 0.05), as well as hemisphere lateralization (P < 0.001). The PLS main component significantly accounted for 33.68 % and 34.16 % of the total variances of hand tremor score and clinical rating scale for tremor (CRST)-total score (P = 0.037 and 0.027). Network transitivity of this subnetwork could serve as a reliable biomarker for hand tremor score control prediction at 180-day after the surgery (ß = 2.94, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: MRgFUS thalamotomy promoted corticostriatal connectivity activation correlated with tremor improvement in ET patient after MRgFUS thalamotomy.

Higher striatal glutamate in male youth with internet gaming disorder.

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a research diagnosis, but little is known about its pathophysiology. Alterations in frontostriatal circuits appear to play a critical role in the development of addiction. Glutamate is considered an essential excitatory neurotransmitter in addictive disorders. This study's aim was to investigate striatal glutamate in youth with IGD compared to healthy controls (HC). Using a cross-sectional design, 25 adolescent male subjects fulfilling DSM-5 criteria for IGD and 26 HC, matched in age, education, handedness and smoking, were included in the analysis. A structural MPRAGE T1 sequence followed by a single-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy MEGA-PRESS sequence (TR = 1500 ms, TE = 68 ms, 208 averages) with a voxel size of 20 mm3 were recorded on 3 T Siemens Magnetom Prisma scanner. The voxel was placed in the left striatum. Group comparison of the relative glutamate and glutamine (Glx) was calculated using regression analysis. IGD subjects met an average of 6.5 of 9 DSM-5 IGD criteria and reported an average of 29 h of weekly gaming. Regression analysis showed a significant group effect for Glx, with higher Glx levels in IGD as compared to HC (coef. = .086, t (50) = 2.17, p = .035). Our study is the first to show higher levels of Glx in the striatum in youth with IGD. The elevation of Glx in the striatum may indicate hyperactivation of the reward system in IGD. Thus, results confirm that neurochemical alterations can be identified in early stages of behavioral addictions.

Subregional analysis of striatum iron in Parkinson's disease and rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder.

The loss of dopamine in the striatum underlies motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is considered prodromal PD and has shown similar neural changes in the striatum. Alterations in brain iron suggest neurodegeneration; however, the literature on striatal iron has been inconsistent in PD and scant in RBD. Toward clarifying pathophysiological changes in PD and RBD, and uncovering possible biomarkers, we imaged 26 early-stage PD patients, 16 RBD patients, and 39 age-matched healthy controls with 3 T MRI. We compared mean susceptibility using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) in the standard striatum (caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens) and tractography-parcellated striatum. Diffusion MRI permitted parcellation of the striatum into seven subregions based on the cortical areas of maximal connectivity from the Tziortzi atlas. No significant differences in mean susceptibility were found in the standard striatum anatomy. For the parcellated striatum, the caudal motor subregion, the most affected region in PD, showed lower iron levels compared to healthy controls. Receiver operating characteristic curves using mean susceptibility in the caudal motor striatum showed a good diagnostic accuracy of 0.80 when classifying early-stage PD from healthy controls. This study highlights that tractography-based parcellation of the striatum could enhance sensitivity to changes in iron levels, which have not been consistent in the PD literature. The decreased caudal motor striatum iron was sufficiently sensitive to PD, but not RBD. QSM in the striatum could contribute to development of a multivariate or multimodal biomarker of early-stage PD, but further work in larger datasets is needed to confirm its utility in prodromal groups.

The disruption of white matter integrity of systemic striatal circuits in alcohol-dependent males with physiological cue reactivity.

Alcohol dependence (AD) is a chronic and relapsing disorder. Conditioned cues associated with the rewarding properties of drugs could trigger motivational/physiological reactions and render subjects vulnerable to relapse. Striatal circuit dysfunction has been implicated in alcohol addiction behaviours. However, little is known about the striatal tracts structural connectivity changes underlying cue induced reactivity in AD. In our present study, we recruited 51 patients with AD; 31 individuals had physiological response. We used seed-based classification by probabilistic tractography with nine target masks to explore the white matter integrity of striatal circuits in physiological responders (N = 31), non-responders (N = 20), and healthy controls (N = 27). Compared with healthy controls, physiological responders showed lower fractional anisotropy (FA) and/or higher mean diffusivity in the striatum-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), striatum-ventral lateral prefrontal cortex, striatum-supplementary motor area (SMA), and striatum-insular. Considering age and smoking are potential nuisances to diffusion parameters, an analysis of covariance also was conducted and similar results were found. We also found the cue-induced physiological response was negatively associated with the FA of the striatum-SMA (r = -0.287; p = 0.045) and left striatum-dlPFC (r = -0.253; p = 0.079) in AD. In our study, we found abnormal integrity of striatal circuit structural connectivity in AD with physiological cue reactivity, especially trajectory from prefrontal cortex and insular. We also found the FA of striatal tracks was negatively associated with the degree of cue reactivity. Our findings provide further evidence for reduced white matter integrity of striatal circuits for cue reactivity in male individuals with AD.

Striatal hypoactivation during monetary loss anticipation in individuals with substance use disorders in a heterogenous urban American Indian sample.

Research suggests that disproportionate exposure to risk factors places American Indian (AI) peoples at higher risk for substance use disorders (SUD). Although SUD is linked to striatal prioritization of drug rewards over other appetitive stimuli, there are gaps in the literature related to the investigation of aversive valuation processing, and inclusion of AI samples. To address these gaps, this study compared striatal anticipatory gain and loss processing between AI-identified with SUD (SUD+; n = 52) and without SUD (SUD-; n = 35) groups from the Tulsa 1000 study who completed a monetary incentive delay (MID) task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results indicated that striatal activations in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), caudate, and putamen were greatest for anticipating gains (ps < 0.001) but showed no group differences. In contrast to gains, the SUD+ exhibited lower NAcc (p = .01, d =0.53) and putamen (p = .04, d =0.40) activation to anticipating large losses than the comparison group. Within SUD+ , lower striatal responses during loss anticipations were associated with slower MID reaction times (NAcc: r = -0.43; putamen: r = -0.35) during loss trials. This is among the first imaging studies to examine underlying neural mechanisms associated with SUD within AIs. Attenuated loss processing provides initial evidence of a potential mechanism wherein blunted prediction of aversive consequences may be a defining feature of SUD that can inform future prevention and intervention targets.

Neuroimaging of Dopamine Transporter Density in the Striatum of Disordered Gamblers.

The aim of the present research was to add to the growing literature on dopamine and gambling disorder (GD) by assessing whether GD is associated with dopamine transporter (DAT) density in the ventral striatum compared to healthy controls and whether DAT density was associated with key characteristics of GD (e.g., abstinence, craving). In a cross-sectional investigation using single-photon emission computed tomography with a technetium-99m-labeled tropane derivative as a radiotracer with SPECT imaging, fifteen participants with GD and 15 controls (non-gambling individuals, matched for age, gender, handedness, and smoking status) were measured. The GD group completed self-reported questionnaires regarding gambling. Striatal DAT density did not differ between the two groups. Conversely, striatal DAT density correlated significantly with various measures of recent gambling, but not with measures of chronic gambling. Multivariate analysis, adjusted for age and smoking status, showed that DAT density in the left striatum correlated positively with time spent gambling and gambling craving in the last month, whereas DAT density in the right striatum correlated negatively with abstinence self-efficacy. The results suggests that DAT density in the striatum is associated with recent gambling activity and gambling expectation.

Association between DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA Allele Status and Striatal Dopamine D2/3 Receptor Availability in Alcohol Use Disorder.

BACKGROUND: The association between blunted dopaminergic neurotransmission and alcohol use disorder (AUD) is well-known. In particular, the impairment of postsynaptic dopamine 2 and 3 receptors (DRD2/3) in the ventral and dorsal striatum during the development and maintenance of alcohol addiction has been investigated in several positron emission tomography (PET) studies. However, it is unclear whether these changes are the result of adaptation or genetic predisposition. METHODS: Here we investigated the association between DRD2/ankyrin repeat and kinase domain-containing 1 (ANKK1) TaqIA allele (rs1800497) status and striatal DRD2/3 availability measured by 18F-fallypride PET in 12 AUD patients and 17 sex-matched healthy controls. Age and smoking status were included as covariates. RESULTS: Contrary to our expectations, TaqIA allele status was not associated with striatal DRD2/3 availability in either group and there was no significant difference between groups, possibly due to the relatively small sample size (N = 29). CONCLUSIONS: Nonetheless, this is the first in vivo study investigating the relationship between dopamine receptor availability and genetic factors in AUD. The pitfalls of assessing such relationships in a relatively small sample are discussed. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The published analysis is an additional, post hoc analysis to the preregistered trial with clinical trial number NCT01679145 available on https://clinical-trials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01679145.

Systemic inflammation enhances stimulant-induced striatal dopamine elevation in tobacco smokers.

Immune-brain interactions influence the pathophysiology of addiction. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced systemic inflammation produces effects on reward-related brain regions and the dopamine system. We previously showed that LPS amplifies dopamine elevation induced by methylphenidate (MP), compared to placebo (PBO), in eight healthy controls. However, the effects of LPS on the dopamine system of tobacco smokers have not been explored. The goal of Study 1 was to replicate previous findings in an independent cohort of tobacco smokers. The goal of Study 2 was to combine tobacco smokers with the aforementioned eight healthy controls to examine the effect of LPS on dopamine elevation in a heterogenous sample for power and effect size determination. Eight smokers were each scanned with [11C]raclopride positron emission tomography three times-at baseline, after administration of LPS (0.8 ng/kg, intravenously) and MP (40 mg, orally), and after administration of PBO and MP, in a double-blind, randomized order. Dopamine elevation was quantified as change in [11C]raclopride binding potential (ΔBPND) from baseline. A repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted to compare LPS and PBO conditions. Smokers and healthy controls were well-matched for demographics, drug dosing, and scanning parameters. In Study 1, MP-induced striatal dopamine elevation was significantly higher following LPS than PBO (p = 0.025, 18 ± 2.9 % vs 13 ± 2.7 %) for smokers. In Study 2, MP-induced striatal dopamine elevation was also significantly higher under LPS than under PBO (p < 0.001, 18 ± 1.6 % vs 11 ± 1.5 %) in the combined sample. Smoking status did not interact with the effect of condition. This is the first study to translate the phenomenon of amplified dopamine elevation after experimental activation of the immune system to an addicted sample which may have implications for drug reinforcement, seeking, and treatment.

Misconfigured striatal connectivity profiles in smokers.

Dysregulation of frontal cortical inputs to the striatum is foundational in the neural basis of substance use disorder (SUD). Neuroanatomical and electrophysiological data increasingly show that striatal nodes receive appreciable input from numerous cortical areas, and that the combinational properties of these multivariate "connectivity profiles" play a predominant role in shaping striatal activity and function. Yet, how abnormal configuration of striatal connectivity profiles might contribute to SUD is unknown. Here, we implemented a novel "connectivity profile analysis" (CPA) approach using resting-state functional connectivity data to facilitate detection of different types of connectivity profile "misconfiguration" that may reflect distinct forms of aberrant circuit plasticity in SUD. We examined 46 nicotine-dependent smokers and 33 non-smokers and showed that both dorsal striatum (DS) and ventral striatum (VS) connectivity profiles with frontal cortex were misconfigured in smokers-but in doubly distinct fashions. DS misconfigurations were stable across sated and acute abstinent states (indicative of a "trait" circuit adaptation) whereas VS misconfigurations emerged only during acute abstinence (indicative of a "state" circuit adaptation). Moreover, DS misconfigurations involved abnormal connection strength rank order arrangement, whereas VS misconfigurations involved abnormal aggregate strength. We found that caudal ventral putamen in smokers uniquely displayed multiple types of connectivity profile misconfiguration, whose interactive magnitude was linked to dependence severity, and that VS misconfiguration magnitude correlated positively with withdrawal severity during acute abstinence. Findings underscore the potential for approaches that more aptly model the neurobiological composition of corticostriatal circuits to yield deeper insights into the neural basis of SUD.

Neuroimaging measures of iron and gliosis explain memory performance in aging.

Evidence from animal and histological studies has indicated that accumulation of iron in the brain results in reactive gliosis that contributes to cognitive deficits. The current study extends these findings to human cognitive aging and suggests that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques like quantitative relaxometry can be used to study iron and its effects in vivo. The effects of iron on microstructure and memory performance were examined using a combination of quantitative relaxometry and multicompartment diffusion imaging in 35 young (21.06 ± 2.18 years) and 28 older (72.58 ± 6.47 years) adults, who also completed a memory task. Replicating past work, results revealed age-related increases in iron content (R2*) and diffusion, and decreases in memory performance. Independent of age group, iron content was significantly related to restricted (intracellular) diffusion in regions with low-moderate iron (hippocampus, caudate) and to all diffusion metrics in regions with moderate-high iron (putamen, globus pallidus). This pattern is consistent with different stages of iron-related gliosis, ranging from astrogliosis that may influence intracellular diffusion to microglial proliferation and increased vascular permeability that may influence all sources of diffusion. Further, hippocampal restricted diffusion was significantly related to memory performance, with a third of this effect related to iron content; consistent with the hypothesis that higher iron-related astrogliosis in the hippocampus is associated with poorer memory performance. These results demonstrate the sensitivity of MRI to iron-related gliosis and extend our understanding of its impact on cognition by showing that this relationship also explains individual differences in memory performance.

Biobehavioral correlates of an fMRI index of striatal tissue iron in depressed patients.

Dopaminergic function is a critical transdiagnostic neurophysiological dimension with broad relevance in psychiatry. Normalized T2*-weighted (nT2*w) imaging has been previously investigated as a method to quantify biological properties of tissue in the striatum (e.g., tissue iron), providing a widely available, in vivo marker with potential relevance to dopaminergic function; but no prior study to our knowledge has examined this neuroimaging marker in clinical depression. In a treatment-seeking, clinically depressed sample (n = 110), we quantified tissue iron (nT2*w) in striatal regions. We assessed test-retest reliability and correlated values with dimensional features across levels of analysis, including demographic/biological (sex, age, Body Mass Index), neuroanatomical (hippocampal atrophy, which was quantified using a recently validated machine-learning algorithm), and performance-based (Affective Go/NoGo task performance) indices with relevance to depressive neurocognition. Across patients, decreased tissue iron concentration (as indexed by higher nT2*w) in striatal regions correlated with indices of decreased cognitive-affective function on the Affective Go/NoGo task. Greater caudate nT2*w also correlated with greater hippocampal atrophy. Striatal tissue iron concentrations were robustly lower in female patients than males but gender differences did not explain relations with other neurocognitive variables. A widely available fMRI index of striatal tissue properties, which exhibited strong psychometric properties and can be readily quantified from most fMRI datasets irrespective of study-specific features such as task design, showed relevance to multiple biobehavioral markers of pathophysiology in the context of moderate-to-severe, treatment-resistant depression. Striatal tissue iron may play a role in dimensional and subgroup-specific features of depression, with implications for future research on depression heterogeneity.

Assessment of transient dopamine responses to smoked cannabis.

BACKGROUND: Dopaminergic mechanisms that may underlie cannabis' reinforcing effects are not well elucidated in humans. This positron emission tomography (PET) imaging study used the dopamine D2/3 receptor antagonist [11C]raclopride and kinetic modelling testing for transient changes in radiotracer uptake to assess the striatal dopamine response to smoked cannabis in a preliminary sample. METHODS: PET emission data were acquired from regular cannabis users (n = 14; 7 M/7 F; 19-32 years old) over 90 min immediately after [11C]raclopride administration (584 ± 95 MBq) as bolus followed by constant infusion (Kbol = 105 min). Participants smoked a cannabis cigarette, using a paced puff protocol, 35 min after scan start. Plasma concentrations of Δ9-THC and metabolites and ratings of subjective "high" were collected during imaging. Striatal dopamine responses were assessed voxelwise with a kinetic model testing for transient reductions in [11C]raclopride binding, linear-parametric neurotransmitter PET (lp-ntPET) (cerebellum as a reference region). RESULTS: Cannabis smoking increased plasma Δ9-THC levels (peak: 0-10 min) and subjective high (peak: 0-30 min). Significant clusters (>16 voxels) modeled by transient reductions in [11C]raclopride binding were identified for all 12 analyzed scans. In total, 26 clusters of significant responses to cannabis were detected, of which 16 were located in the ventral striatum, including at least one ventral striatum cluster in 11 of the 12 analyzed scans. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data support the sensitivity of [11C]raclopride PET with analysis of transient changes in radiotracer uptake to detect cannabis smoking-induced dopamine responses. This approach shows future promise to further elucidate roles of mesolimbic dopaminergic signaling in chronic cannabis use. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02817698.

The spatiotemporal changes in dopamine, neuromelanin and iron characterizing Parkinson's disease.

In Parkinson's disease, there is a progressive reduction in striatal dopaminergic function, and loss of neuromelanin-containing dopaminergic neurons and increased iron deposition in the substantia nigra. We tested the hypothesis of a relationship between impairment of the dopaminergic system and changes in the iron metabolism. Based on imaging data of patients with prodromal and early clinical Parkinson's disease, we assessed the spatiotemporal ordering of such changes and relationships in the sensorimotor, associative and limbic territories of the nigrostriatal system. Patients with Parkinson's disease (disease duration < 4 years) or idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder (a prodromal form of Parkinson's disease) and healthy controls underwent longitudinal examination (baseline and 2-year follow-up). Neuromelanin and iron sensitive MRI and dopamine transporter single-photon emission tomography were performed to assess nigrostriatal levels of neuromelanin, iron, and dopamine. For all three functional territories of the nigrostriatal system, in the clinically most and least affected hemispheres separately, the following was performed: cross-sectional and longitudinal intergroup difference analysis of striatal dopamine and iron, and nigral neuromelanin and iron; in Parkinson's disease patients, exponential fitting analysis to assess the duration of the prodromal phase and the temporal ordering of changes in dopamine, neuromelanin or iron relative to controls; and voxel-wise correlation analysis to investigate concomitant spatial changes in dopamine-iron, dopamine-neuromelanin and neuromelanin-iron in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The temporal ordering of dopaminergic changes followed the known spatial pattern of progression involving first the sensorimotor, then the associative and limbic striatal and nigral regions. Striatal dopaminergic denervation occurred first followed by abnormal iron metabolism and finally neuromelanin changes in the substantia nigra pars compacta, which followed the same spatial and temporal gradient observed in the striatum but shifted in time. In conclusion, dopaminergic striatal dysfunction and cell loss in the substantia nigra pars compacta are interrelated with increased nigral iron content.

Importance of Thalamostriatal Pathway Associated With Neurocognitive Dysfunctions in Children With Neurofibromatosis Type 1: Diffusion Tensor Imaging Findings.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is a difference between healthy control group and children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) in terms of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values in different regions of the brain associated with neurocognitive functions and to investigate the correlation between diffusion tensor imaging parameters and neurocognitive dysfunctions. METHODS: The study included 28 children with NF1 and 21 controls. Nine distinct areas related to cognitive functions were selected for the analysis. The ADC and FA values were compared. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between NF1 and healthy control in terms of ADC values obtained from all areas. The ADC values at obtained from thalamus and striatum were positively correlated with the full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ), verbal IQ, and performance IQ. CONCLUSIONS: We are speculated that the development of microstructural damage in the thalamostriatal pathway may lead to neurocognitive dysfunction.

Iron distribution in the lentiform nucleus: A post-mortem MRI and histology study.

Iron plays an important role in many neurobiological processes, especially in the basal ganglia, the brain structures with the highest concentration. Composed of the pallidum and putamen, the lentiform nucleus plays a key role in the basal ganglia circuitry. With MRI advances, iron-based sequences such as R2* and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) are now available for detecting and quantifying iron in different brain structures. Since their validation using classic iron detection techniques (histology or physical techniques), these sequences have attracted growing clinical attention, especially in the field of extrapyramidal syndromes that particularly affect the basal nuclei. Accurate mapping of iron in these nuclei and their connections is needed to gain a better understanding of this specific anatomy, before considering its involvement in the physiopathological processes. We performed R2* and QSM along with Perls histology, to gain new insights into the distribution of iron in the lentiform nucleus and its surrounding structures, based on four specimens obtained from voluntary donors. We found that iron is preferentially distributed in the anterior part of the globus pallidus externus and the posterior part of the putamen. The lateral wall of the putamen is iron-poor, compared with the lateral medullary lamina and intraputaminal fibers. The relevance of perivascular iron concentration, along with pallido- and putaminofugal iron-rich fibers, is discussed.

Striatal dopamine synthesis capacity in autism spectrum disorder and its relation with social defeat: an [18F]-FDOPA PET/CT study.

Alterations in dopamine signalling have been implied in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and these could be associated with the risk of developing a psychotic disorder in ASD adults. Negative social experiences and feelings of social defeat might result in an increase in dopamine functioning. However, few studies examined dopamine functioning in vivo in ASD. Here we examine whether striatal dopamine synthesis capacity is increased in ASD and associated with social defeat. Forty-four unmedicated, non-psychotic adults diagnosed with ASD and 22 matched controls, aged 18-30 years, completed a dynamic 3,4-dihydroxy-6-[18F]-fluoro-L-phenylalanine positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18F]-FDOPA PET/CT) scan to measure presynaptic dopamine synthesis capacity in the striatum. We considered unwanted loneliness, ascertained using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, as primary measure of social defeat. We found no statistically significant difference in striatal dopamine synthesis capacity between ASD and controls (F1,60 = 0.026, p = 0.87). In ASD, striatal dopamine synthesis capacity was not significantly associated with loneliness (ß = 0.01, p = 0.96). Secondary analyses showed comparable results when examining the associative, limbic, and sensorimotor sub-regions of the striatum (all p-values > 0.05). Results were similar before and after adjusting for age, sex, smoking-status, and PET/CT-scanner-type. In conclusion, in unmedicated, non-psychotic adults with ASD, striatal dopamine synthesis capacity is not increased and not associated with social defeat.

Decreasing brain iron in multiple sclerosis: The difference between concentration and content in iron MRI.

Increased brain iron concentration is often reported concurrently with disease development in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. However, it is unclear whether the higher iron concentration in patients stems from an influx of iron into the tissue or a relative reduction in tissue compartments without much iron. By taking into account structural volume, we investigated tissue iron content in the deep gray matter (DGM) over 2 years, and compared findings to previously reported changes in iron concentration. 120 MS patients and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included. Clinical testing and MRI were performed both at baseline and after 2 years. Overall, iron content was calculated from structural MRI and quantitative susceptibility mapping in the thalamus, caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus. MS patients had significantly lower iron content than controls in the thalamus, with progressive MS patients demonstrating lower iron content than relapsing-remitting patients. Over 2 years, iron content decreased in the DGM of patients with MS, while it tended to increase or remain stable among controls. In the thalamus, decreasing iron content over 2 years was associated with disability progression. Our study showed that temporally increasing magnetic susceptibility in MS should not be considered as evidence for iron influx because it may be explained, at least partially, by disease-related atrophy. Declining DGM iron content suggests that, contrary to the current understanding, iron is being removed from the DGM in patients with MS.

Dopamine D2/3 receptor availability in alcohol use disorder and individuals at high risk: Towards a dimensional approach.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the most common substance use disorder worldwide. Although dopamine-related findings were often observed in AUD, associated neurobiological mechanisms are still poorly understood. Therefore, in the present study, we investigate D2/3 receptor availability in healthy participants, participants at high risk (HR) to develop addiction (not diagnosed with AUD), and AUD patients in a detoxified stage, applying 18 F-fallypride positron emission tomography (18 F-PET). Specifically, D2/3 receptor availability was investigated in (1) 19 low-risk (LR) controls, (2) 19 HR participants, and (3) 20 AUD patients after alcohol detoxification. Quality and severity of addiction were assessed with clinical questionnaires and (neuro)psychological tests. PET data were corrected for age of participants and smoking status. In the dorsal striatum, we observed significant reductions of D2/3 receptor availability in AUD patients compared with LR participants. Further, receptor availability in HR participants was observed to be intermediate between LR and AUD groups (linearly decreasing). Still, in direct comparison, no group difference was observed between LR and HR groups or between HR and AUD groups. Further, the score of the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS) was inversely correlated with D2/3 receptor availability in the combined sample. Thus, in line with a dimensional approach, striatal D2/3 receptor availability showed a linear decrease from LR participants to HR participants to AUD patients, which was paralleled by clinical measures. Our study shows that a core neurobiological feature in AUD seems to be detectable in an early, subclinical state, allowing more individualized alcohol prevention programs in the future.

Increased striatal functional connectivity is associated with improved smoking cessation outcomes: A preliminary study.

The striatum is the critical area of reward processing and has been repeatedly linked to nicotine addiction. However, it remains unclear whether different smoking cessation outcomes (relapse or not) are associated with different functional connectivity changes of the striatum during smoking cessation treatment. A total of 30 treatment-seeking smokers were recruited in the study and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans immediately before and after a 12-week treatment with varenicline. After the 12-week treatment with varenicline, 14 subjects relapsed to smoking (relapsers), whereas 16 not relapsed (nonrelapsers). Changes in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) across groups and visits were assessed using repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Significant interaction effects were detected: (1) between left nucleus accumbens (NAc) and left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), insula, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and bilateral precuneus; (2) between right NAc and left insula, IFG, and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC); and (3) between bilateral putamen and left precuneus. Post hoc region-of-interest analyses in brain areas showing interaction effects indicated significantly decreased rsFC after treatment compared with before treatment in relapsers but opposite longitudinal changes in nonrelapers. These novel findings suggest that increased striatal rsFC is associated with improved smoking cessation outcomes. These striatal functional circuits may serve as potential therapeutic targets for more efficacious treatment of nicotine addiction.