| Literature DB >> 34859242 |
Michael Malina1, Sarah Keedy1, Jessica Weafer2, Kathryne Van Hedger2, Harriet de Wit1.
Abstract
Methamphetamine (MA) abuse remains an urgent public health problem. Understanding how the drug affects brain function will help to identify how it leads to abuse and dependence. Previous studies indicate that MA and other stimulants have complex effects on resting state functional connectivity. Here, we used a hypothesis-free approach to examine the acute effects of MA (20 mg oral) versus placebo on neural connectivity in healthy adults. Using networks identified by an independent component analysis with placebo data, we examined the effects of MA on connectivity within and between resting state networks. The drug did not significantly alter connectivity within networks. MA did alter connectivity between some networks: it increased connectivity between both the thalamus and cerebellum to sensorimotor and middle temporal gyrus. However, MA decreased connectivity between sensorimotor and middle temporal gyrus networks. MA produced its expected subjective effects, but these were not significantly related to connectivity. The findings extend our knowledge of how MA affects connectivity, by reporting that it affects between-network connectivity but not within-network connectivity. Future studies with other behavioral measures may reveal relationships between the neural and behavioral actions of the drug.Entities:
Keywords: fMRI; functional connectivity; healthy humans; methamphetamine; resting state
Year: 2021 PMID: 34859242 PMCID: PMC8633740 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgab063
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Cereb Cortex Commun ISSN: 2632-7376
Figure 1Subjective and cardiovascular responses to MA. Mean (and standard error of mean [SEM]) values at each time point in minutes after drug administration, on ARCI Amphetamine scale (A) and heart rate (B). The gray bars indicate when the MRI scan occurred. Square symbols refer to MA and circles to placebo. MA significantly increased both heart rate and subjective ratings as measured by the ARCI A scale.
Figure 2Resting state networks that were visually identified based on placebo session data. These 23 networks were averaged components from the 10 gICAs. SMA and FEFs: Supplementary motor area and frontal eye fields; P Middle Temporal Gyrus: Posterior middle temporal gyrus; OrbPFC, Amyg, Hippoc: Orbitofrontal prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus; VA Prefrontal Cortex: Ventral anterior prefrontal cortex.
Significant between-network increases and decreases in connectivity after MA compared to PL
| PL > MA connectivity | t |
|
|---|---|---|
| Lateral sensorimotor network and middle temporal gyrus | --3.97 | 0.0007 |
| Lateral sensorimotor network and posterior middle temporal gyrus | --3.03 | 0.0064 |
|
| ||
| Cerebellum and middle temporal gyrus | 4.21 | 0.0004 |
| Thalamus and postcentral gyrus | 3.64 | 0.0015 |
| Thalamus and middle temporal gyrus | 3.42 | 0.0025 |
| Cerebellum and lateral sensorimotor network | 3.4 | 0.0027 |
| Thalamus and lateral sensorimotor network | 3.4 | 0.0027 |
Note: These connections correspond with the data presented in Figure 3, in which increases in connectivity after MA are presented in red and decreases in connectivity are in blue.
Figure 3Effect of MA on between-network functional connectivity. The left shows pairs of networks that were significantly increased (red connections) or decreased (blue connections) after MA relative to PL. Numbers correspond to resting state networks listed in the center. The right shows the anatomical location of the 7 significant connections of the resting state networks. Color scale represents t-values.