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Abstract #3716

Selective White Matter Connectivity Loss (LoCo) Identified in the Brain-Reward System of Alcohol Dependent Individuals

Amy Kuceyeski1, Dieter Meyerhoff2, 3, Timothy Durazzo2, 3, Ashish Raj1

1Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States; 2Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States; 3Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, United States

In this study, we implement a recently developed measure called the Comparative Connectivity Loss (CCL) that gives the amount of white matter connectivity disruption for a particular gray matter region, and apply it to a group of alcohol-dependent cohorts. We show that the Brain Reward System is preferentially disrupted, without leading to more widespread and global network changes. We also show that the CCL is a more sensitive and specific metric than gray matter atrophy when differentiating between alcohol dependent individuals and non/light drinking controls.

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Keywords

abnormalities abstinent addition alcohol alcoholic alcoholism among amount analyses analyzed anatomical applied assess assessment association atlas atrophy behavior better bilateral biomedical blue brain brains called circles circuits classification cohort coincident college completely concomitant conditions connecting connectivity controls corrected cortical create critical cross damaged define degree density dependence dependent dieter differentiates diffusion diseases disorders disruption disruptions drinking exploit fiber fibers form frontal frontiers fryer global graph greater healthy identified indicated indicating individual individuals inform injured injury integrity interconnectivity international joint leave lends library limitation local loci loco loss maintenance maps matrices measured measures mediate medical metric metrics middle modalities necessarily network networks occipital official overall particular pass permit populations postulate processes psychiatry radiology recently recording reduction regionally related removed removing resolution review reward sample scale scores selective sensitivity separate significantly structural structures substance system systematic terminating thresholding track tracts uncorrected understanding variety various virtual visualizes volume white whole whose widely wise young