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Severity of dependence modulates smokers’ functional connectivity in the reward circuit: a preliminary study

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Abstract

Rationale

Nicotine dependence is characterized as a neural circuit dysfunction, particularly with regard to the reward circuit. Although dependence severity moderates cue reactivity in the brain regions involved in reward processing, the direction of its influence remains controversial.

Objectives

Investigating the functional organization of the reward circuit may provide complementary information. Here, we used resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) to evaluate the integrity of the reward circuit in smokers with different severities of nicotine dependence.

Methods

Totals of 65 smokers and 37 non-smokers underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The smokers were divided into low-dependent (FTND < 5, n = 26) and high-dependent smoker groups (FTND ≥ 5, n = 39) based on their nicotine-dependence severity (as measured by the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence [FTND]). The region of interest (ROI)-wise rsFC within the reward circuit was compared between smokers and non-smokers as well as between low-dependent and high-dependent smokers and then correlated with smokers’ FTND scores.

Results

Widespread rsFC attenuation was observed in the reward circuit of smokers compared with non-smokers. Compared with low-dependent smokers, high-dependent smokers showed greater rsFC between the right amygdala and the left nucleus accumbens (NAcc) as well as between the bilateral hippocampus. Furthermore, a positive correlation between the inter-hippocampus rsFC and the severity of nicotine dependence (FTND) was detected among all smokers (r = 0.416, p = 0.001).

Conclusions

Our results indicate a dysfunction of the reward circuit in nicotine-dependent individuals. Moreover, our study improves the understanding of the neuroplastic changes that occur during the development of nicotine dependence.

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Acknowledgments

Grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81171310) and the Scientific Research Project of Zhejiang Province (2011C23094) supported this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 88 Jiefang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310009, China

    Zhujing Shen, Peiyu Huang, Wei Qian, Chao Wang & Minming Zhang

  2. Department of Psychiatry, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China

    Hualiang Yu

  3. Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Yihong Yang

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  1. Zhujing Shen
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  2. Peiyu Huang
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Correspondence to Minming Zhang.

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The Institutional Review Board of the Second Affiliated Hospital of the Zhejiang University School of Medicine reviewed and approved all procedures. All participants provided signed informed consents prior to study participation.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Shen, Z., Huang, P., Qian, W. et al. Severity of dependence modulates smokers’ functional connectivity in the reward circuit: a preliminary study. Psychopharmacology 233, 2129–2137 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-016-4262-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-016-4262-5

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