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Cortical morphology of chronic users of codeine-containing cough syrups: association with sulcal depth, gyrification, and cortical thickness

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Abstract

Objectives

The study aimed to explore the effects of codeine-containing cough syrup (CCS) exposure on cortical morphology and the relationship between cortical characteristics and CCS dependence.

Methods

Cortical morphometry based on Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) was used to compare changes in sulcal depth, gyrification, and cortical thickness of the cerebral cortex from 40 CCS users and 40 healthy controls (HCs) with two-sample t tests (p < 0.05, multiple comparison corrected). Relationships between abnormal cortical morphological changes and the duration of CCS use, impulsivity traits, and age of first use were investigated with correlation analysis (p < 0.05, uncorrected).

Results

CCS users exhibited significantly increased sulcal depth in the bilateral insula, bilateral lingual, bilateral superior frontal, right precuneus, and right middle frontal regions; increased gyrification in the right precentral cortex; and increased cortical thickness in the bilateral precentral, bilateral precuneus, and right superior temporal cortices compared to HCs. In addition, we found significant correlations between the bilateral insula, right superior frontal cortex, and right precentral gyrus and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) total scores.

Conclusions

Chronic CCS abuse may be associated with aberrant sulcal depth, gyrification, and cortical thickness. These morphological changes might serve as an underlying neurobiological mechanism of impulsive behavior in the CCS users.

Key Points

• Cortical morphological changes were detected in CCS users.

• Increased sulcal depth, gyrification, and cortical thickness of some regions were found in the CCS users.

• Positive correlations between cortical morphological changes and BIS total scores were identified.

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Abbreviations

BIS:

Barratt Impulsiveness Scale

CAT12:

Computational Anatomy Toolbox

CCS:

Codeine-containing cough syrup

HCs:

Healthy controls

INS:

Insula

LING:

Lingual

MFC:

Middle frontal cortex

PBT:

Projection-based thickness

PCUN:

Precuneus

PFC:

Prefrontal cortex

PreCG:

Precentral gyrus

SFC:

Superior frontal cortex

STC:

Superior temporal cortex

TIV:

Total intracranial volume

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The authors state that this work has not received any funding.

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Author notes

  1. Meng Li and Kelei Hua contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, 466 Xingang Rd, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, 510317, People’s Republic of China

    Meng Li, Kelei Hua, Shumei Li, Changhong Li, Wenfeng Zhan, Hua Wen, Xiaofen Ma, Junzhang Tian & Guihua Jiang

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  1. Meng Li
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  2. Kelei Hua
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  3. Shumei Li
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  4. Changhong Li
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  6. Hua Wen
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Correspondence to Guihua Jiang.

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The scientific guarantor of this publication is Guihua Jiang.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Statistics and biometry

No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper.

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Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (patients) in this study.

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Institutional review board approval was obtained.

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• prospective

• cross-sectional study

• performed at one institution

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Li, M., Hua, K., Li, S. et al. Cortical morphology of chronic users of codeine-containing cough syrups: association with sulcal depth, gyrification, and cortical thickness. Eur Radiol 29, 5901–5909 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-019-06165-0

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