TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of alcohol and combined marijuana and alcohol use during adolescence on hippocampal volume and asymmetry
AU - Medina, Krista Lisdahl
AU - Schweinsburg, Alecia D.
AU - Cohen-Zion, Mairav
AU - Nagel, Bonnie J.
AU - Tapert, Susan F.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to express our appreciation to the research participants and their families, the research associates in the Laboratory of Cognitive Imaging (LOCI) in the Department of Psychiatry, UCSD, and the LOCI IT team. Funding was provided by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (PI: Tapert, R21 DA15228 and R01 DA021182; PI: Medina, F32 DA020206), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (PI: Tapert, R21 AA12519 and R01 AA13419), and the UCSD Fellowship in Biological Psychiatry and Neuroscience (Nagel, Cohen-Zion).
PY - 2007/1
Y1 - 2007/1
N2 - Background: Converging lines of evidence suggest that the hippocampus may be particularly vulnerable to deleterious effects of alcohol and marijuana use, especially during adolescence. The goal of this study was to examine hippocampal volume and asymmetry in adolescent users of alcohol and marijuana. Methods: Participants were adolescent (aged 15-18) alcohol (ALC) users (n = 16), marijuana and alcohol (MJ + ALC) users (n = 26), and demographically similar controls (n = 21). Extensive exclusionary criteria included prenatal toxic exposure, left handedness, and psychiatric and neurologic disorders. Substance use, cognitive, and anatomical measures were collected after at least 2 days of abstinence from all substances. Results: Adolescent ALC users demonstrated a significantly different pattern of hippocampal asymmetry (p < .05) and reduced left hippocampal volume (p < .05) compared to MJ + ALC users and non-using controls. Increased alcohol abuse/dependence severity was associated with increased right > left (R > L) asymmetry and smaller left hippocampal volumes while marijuana abuse/dependence was associated with increased L > R asymmetry and larger left hippocampal volumes. Although MJ + ALC users did not differ from controls in asymmetry, functional relationships with verbal learning were found only among controls, among whom greater right than left hippocampal volume was associated with superior performance (p < .05). Conclusions: Aberrations in hippocampal asymmetry and left hippocampal volumes were found for adolescent heavy drinkers. Further, the functional relationship between hippocampal asymmetry and verbal learning was abnormal among adolescent substance users compared to healthy controls. These findings suggest differential effects of alcohol and combined marijuana and alcohol use on hippocampal morphometry and the relationship between hippocampal asymmetry and verbal learning performance among adolescents.
AB - Background: Converging lines of evidence suggest that the hippocampus may be particularly vulnerable to deleterious effects of alcohol and marijuana use, especially during adolescence. The goal of this study was to examine hippocampal volume and asymmetry in adolescent users of alcohol and marijuana. Methods: Participants were adolescent (aged 15-18) alcohol (ALC) users (n = 16), marijuana and alcohol (MJ + ALC) users (n = 26), and demographically similar controls (n = 21). Extensive exclusionary criteria included prenatal toxic exposure, left handedness, and psychiatric and neurologic disorders. Substance use, cognitive, and anatomical measures were collected after at least 2 days of abstinence from all substances. Results: Adolescent ALC users demonstrated a significantly different pattern of hippocampal asymmetry (p < .05) and reduced left hippocampal volume (p < .05) compared to MJ + ALC users and non-using controls. Increased alcohol abuse/dependence severity was associated with increased right > left (R > L) asymmetry and smaller left hippocampal volumes while marijuana abuse/dependence was associated with increased L > R asymmetry and larger left hippocampal volumes. Although MJ + ALC users did not differ from controls in asymmetry, functional relationships with verbal learning were found only among controls, among whom greater right than left hippocampal volume was associated with superior performance (p < .05). Conclusions: Aberrations in hippocampal asymmetry and left hippocampal volumes were found for adolescent heavy drinkers. Further, the functional relationship between hippocampal asymmetry and verbal learning was abnormal among adolescent substance users compared to healthy controls. These findings suggest differential effects of alcohol and combined marijuana and alcohol use on hippocampal morphometry and the relationship between hippocampal asymmetry and verbal learning performance among adolescents.
KW - Adolescence
KW - Alcohol Abuse
KW - Brain Imaging
KW - Cannabis Abuse
KW - Drug effects
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ntt.2006.10.010
DO - 10.1016/j.ntt.2006.10.010
M3 - Article
C2 - 17169528
AN - SCOPUS:33846839155
SN - 0892-0362
VL - 29
SP - 141
EP - 152
JO - Neurotoxicology and Teratology
JF - Neurotoxicology and Teratology
IS - 1
ER -