The Structuarl And Functional Resting-state FMRI Study Of Anterior Cingulate Cortex In Heroin Users

Objective To explore changes of structural and functional connectivity of anteriorcingulate cortex(ACC) and analyze the role of ACC in heroin addiction byvoxel-based morphometry (VBM) and resting-state functional MRI (fMRI).Methods Fifteen heroin addicts and fifteen normal people were set as addictiongroup respectively, who underwent3-dimensional structural imaging and resting-statefMRI.The VBM was used to compare the structural differences between the twogroups. The left and ringht dorsal ACCs were selected as the regions of interest seed（ROIs）to analyze the resting-state fMRI data of two groups in order to investigatethe differences in functional connectivity between the ACC and related brain regions.Results When P<0.05was set in SPM software, VBM results showed that therewere significant differences in gray matter density of right and left ACCs, leftparahippocampa gyri, the right and left caudate nuclei between two groups. When leftdorsal ACC was selected as ROI, functional connectivity in some brain regions,including the right and left ventral ACCs、the left posterior cingulate cortexes(PCC)、the left precuneus、the left medial frontal gyri、the left inferior parietallobule、the right and left orbital frontal cortex、the right and left superior frontal gyriand the left parahippocampa gyri were weaker in addiction group than in normalcontrol group. When right dorsal ACC was selected as ROI, functional connectivityin some brain regions, including the right ventral ACC、the right precuneus、the rightmedial frontal gyri、 the right posterior cingulate cortexes (PCC)、 the rightinfratemporal and the right parahippocampa gyri were weaker in addiction group thanin normal control group.Conclusion The unusual changes of structural and functional connectivity appear in long-term heroin addicticts, suggesting ACC may play an important role ingeneration and maintain of addiction and also in relapse after drug withdraw. So, theACC might be a key role of the reward system of heroin addiction.