Resting-state functional connectivity and structural differences between smokers and healthy non-smokers

Scientific Reports, vol. 14, pp. 6878

Abstract

Previous studies have shown an association between cigarette use and altered resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in many large-scale networks, sometimes complemented by measures of cortical atrophy. In this study, we aimed to further explore the neural differences between smokers and healthy non-smokers through the integration of functional and structural analyses. Imaging data of fifty-two smokers and forty-five non-smokers were analyzed through an independent component analysis for group differences in rsFC. Smokers showed lower rsFC within the dorsal attention network (DAN) in the left superior and middle frontal gyrus and left superior division of the lateral occipital cortex compared to non-smokers; moreover, cigarette use was found to be associated with reduced grey matter volume in the left superior and middle frontal gyrus and right orbitofrontal cortex, partly overlapping with functional findings. Within smokers, daily cigarette consumption was positively associated with increased rsFC within the cerebellar network and the default mode network and decreased rsFC within the visual network and the salience network, while carbon monoxide level showed a positive association with increased rsFC within the sensorimotor network. Our results suggest that smoking negatively impacts rsFC within the DAN and that changes within this network might serve as a circuit-based biomarker for structural deficits.

Authors 5

1. Carmen Weidler corresponding Aachen Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany. cweidler@ukaachen.de

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany

2. Chiara Gramegna Aachen Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics

   RWTH Aachen University · University of Milano-Bicocca

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany. c.gramegna@campus.unimib.it

   Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milan, Italy. c.gramegna@campus.unimib.it

   PhD Program in Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy. c.gramegna@campus.unimib.it

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany

3. Dario Müller Aachen Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany

4. Maike Schrickel Aachen Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany

5. Ute Habel Aachen Faculty of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics

   RWTH Aachen University · Forschungszentrum Jülich · Jülich Aachen Research Alliance

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany