1. Southwest University, Chongqing, China
Brain Structural and Functional Changes Associated with Addiction and Recovery
Qinghua He, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Southwest University, Chongqing, China

2. Agenda Addiction and its underlying neural mechanism
MRI and fMRI background
Structural and Functional changes associated with Food Addiction
Structural and Functional changes associated with Facebook Addiction
Structural and Functional changes associated with Cocaine Addiction and Recovery

3. Agenda
Addiction and its underlying neural mechanism

4. Addiction Substance Dependence Behavior Addiction
Cocaine; Heroin; Methamphetamine; Nicotine; etc.
Behavior Addiction
Internet Addiction; Overeating; Pathological gambling; Compulsive shopping; etc.
There are basically two types of addiction
Question is is there difference in underlying brain mechanism?

5. Neural Mechanisms underlying Addiction
There are three systems under addiction.
This is not a new framework, especially the impulsive and control system.
Noel, Brevers, Bechara, 2013, Current Opinions in Nueorbiology

6. Agenda Addiction and its underlying neural mechanism
MRI and fMRI background

7. MRI scanner Superconducting 1-7 Tesla for human magnets
This is a typical MRI scanner.
Use superconducting material to generate uniform/strong magnetic field
3T is about 60,000 times the earth's magnet field
Mainly three parts: 1) main magnetic field
2) Gradient coils
3) Radio-frequency coil

8. f/MRI scanning http://www.cis.rit.edu/class/schp730/lect/lect-2.htm
B0 used to magnetization, Polarization of all Nuclei in your brain.
Gradient field, used for slice selection.
The radiofrequency field used to decode the position within the slice.
Source:

9. Gray Matter Analysis
Removed the skulls, and then segment into gray matter and white matter based on the gray density. And then parcellated into different brain areas. The gray matter volume/cortical thickness in each brain areas were then measured.
Source:

10. Borrowed from FSL Course 2012, Bristol, UK
Oxygen–haemoglobin
Borrowed from FSL Course 2012, Bristol, UK

11. Agenda Addiction and its underlying neural mechanism
MRI and fMRI background
Structural and Functional changes associated with Food Addiction

12. Food Addiction
Compulsive eating
Binge eating
Obesity

13. Brain Structure Bases He et al., 2015, Brain Structure and Function
该研究采用了336名被试，用结构像和DTI考察了BMI与脑结构的相关性。首先，BMI与扣带回中部的灰质体积呈负相关，白质的分析发现扣带回中部附近的白质也呈现出与BMI类似的负相关关系，最后，采用MCC区域作为种子点，纤维束追踪的结果发现通过MCC区域的纤维数量也与BMI呈负相关。这些结果在BMI正常的被试中依然如此。因此，该研究可能揭示了随着BMI的增长，MCC附近的灰质和白质结构也发生了相应的改变，这可能为肥胖症的脑结构变化提供了证据。
He et al., 2015, Brain Structure and Function

14. Brain Structure Bases
He et al., 2015, Brain Structure and Function

15. Brain Structure Bases
He et al., 2015, Brain Structure and Function

16. Brain Structure Bases Regression Analysis Mediation Analysis
all three factors made unique contributions to BMI
Mediation Analysis
IGT score in the first 40 trials mediated the association between GMV in the MCC region and BMI (indirect effect = -0.23, p<0.05) as well as between the number of white matter tracks passing this region and BMI (indirect effect = -0.27, p<0.05).
He et al., 2015, Brain Structure and Function

17. Functional Bases
He et al., 2014, Nutrition Journal

18. Functional Bases
He et al., 2014, Nutrition Journal

19. Functional Bases
He et al., 2014, Nutrition Journal

20. Functional Bases He et al., 2014, Frontiers in Neuroscience
FIGURE 3|FunctionalMRIcorrelationofvegetableconsumptionand IGT activityduringdecisionstageoftheIowaGamblingTask(IGT). (A) Regionsshowasignificantpositivecorrelation(red)betweenvegetable consumption andtheleftsuperiorfrontalgyrus(SFG)activation. (B) Regions showsignificantnegativecorrelation(blue)betweenvegetableconsumption and therightinsula. (C, D) Scatterplotsofcorrelationsbetweenvegetable consumption andtheaveragedcovarianceoftheparameterestimatesinthe leftSFGandrightinsularcortex,respectively.
He et al., 2014, Frontiers in Neuroscience

21. Functional Bases He et al., 2014, Frontiers in Neuroscience
FIGURE 4|FunctionalMRIcorrelationofsnackconsumptionandthe IowaGamblingTask(IGT)activityduringdecisionstage.(A) Regions showsignificantpositivecorrelation(red)betweensnackconsumptionand right insularcortexactivation. (B) Regionsshowsignificantpositive correlation(red)betweensnackconsumptionandrightventralstriatum activation. (C) Regionsshowsignificantnegativecorrelation(blue)between snackconsumptionandleftfrontalpole. (D,E,F) Scatterplotsofcorrelations betweensnackconsumptionandtheaveragedcovarianceofparameter estimates intherightinsularcortex,rightventralstriatumandleftfrontal pole, respectively.
He et al., 2014, Frontiers in Neuroscience

22. Food Addiction Impulsive System Inhibition Control System Hyper-active
Hypo-active

23. Agenda Addiction and its underlying neural mechanism
MRI and fMRI background
Structural and Functional changes associated with Food Addiction
Structural and Functional changes associated with Facebook Addiction

24. Facebook Addiction
Turel & He et al., 2014, Psychological Reports

25. Facebook Addiction
Turel & He et al., 2014, Psychological Reports

26. Facebook Addiction
Turel & He et al., 2014, Psychological Reports

27. Facebook Addiction Impulsive System Control System Hyper-active
Maybe intact

28. Agenda Addiction and its underlying neural mechanism
MRI and fMRI background
Structural and Functional changes associated with Food Addiction
Structural and Functional changes associated with Facebook Addiction
Structural and Functional changes associated with Cocaine Addiction and Recovery

29. The Cocaine study

30. Purpose
Combine fMRI, sMRI and DTI to understand the neurocognitive mechanism and recovery of drug addiction
sMRI
Gray matter volume, cortical thickness
DTI
White matter tractography
fMRI
Cue Task
Cup Task
Resting State

31. Method Summary Group Difference Correlation with Years of recovery
A VS Controls; difference between users and control
A VS D | A VS BCD effects of recover
D VS Controls the brain region not showing recover
Correlation with Years of recovery
Positive
Negative
Question 1: what’s the difference between current cocaine users and controls
Question 2: what’s the difference between current cocaine users and those recovered for over 10 years
Question 3: what’s the difference between controls and those recovered for over 10 years
Question 4: does it show any correlation between these brain region difference and years of recovery

32. Cue Task (BOLD) Cocaine-related pictures VS Nature pictures
Block design

33. Cocaine Addiction
Actually, the ACC activation showed a positive activation with recover; but VMPFC does not
The activation of ACC seems recover
But the activation of the VMPFC never recover

34. Summary Substance Addiction is like a brain disease
Some of the brain function were damaged permanently
Some functions could recover
Different neural systems were engaged in different types of addictions
Impulsive system mostly engaged in the Facebook Addiction
Impulsive system and reflective system engaged in the food Addiction
The decision making process doesn’t seem to recover in Cocaine Addiction

35. Acknowledgements UCLA USC Beijing Normal University UC Irvine
Prof. Yih-Ing Hser
USC
Prof. Antoine Bechara
Dr. Lin Xiao
Beijing Normal University
Prof. Qi Dong
Prof. Gui Xue
Dr. Chunhui Chen
UC Irvine
Prof. Chuansheng Chen
The Ohio State University
Prof. Zhong-Lin Lu
Cal State Fullerton
Prof. Ofir Turel

36. Questions?