White matter abnormalities in long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid users: A pilot study.
Recent studies of long-term anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) users reported amygdala structural and functional connectivity abnormalities. We assessed white matter microstructure in the inferior-fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), a major associative bundle of the amygdala network. Diffusion weighted images acquired from 9 male long-term AAS users and 8 matched controls aged 36-51 years old were processed using a standardized pipeline (Tract-Based Spatial Statistics). Group differences were examined using linear regression with adjustment for age and current testosterone level. Compared to nonusers, AAS users exhibited significantly higher fractional anisotropy (FA) in the IFOF. Users showed markedly greater FA than nonusers on the left IFOF but only a modest, nonsignificant difference on the right IFOF. Moreover, FA was positively associated with lifetime cumulative AAS dose. Our results suggest that long-term AAS use alters IFOF white matter organization and integrity, which in turn might affect amygdala-related processes such as reward system function. Accordingly, further studies are needed to replicate findings in larger subject groups to determine the functional significance of the FA abnormality.
['Seitz|Johanna|J|', 'Lyall|Amanda E|AE|', 'Kanayama|Gen|G|', 'Makris|Nikos|N|', 'Hudson|James I|JI|', 'Kubicki|Marek|M|', 'Pope|Harrison G|HG|', 'Kaufman|Marc J|MJ|']
D000328:Adult D000728:Androgens D016880:Anisotropy D001921:Brain D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D010865:Pilot Projects D045165:Testosterone Congeners D066127:White Matter
Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) Inferior-fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) (4): Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS)