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Hippocampal volume changes accompanying chronic methamphetamine use are related to use frequency and sex
Poster Session E - Monday, March 31, 2025, 2:30 – 4:30 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom
Alisha L. Schaefer1 (aschaefer13@huskers.unl.edu), Robert J. Roy, Nicholas A. Hubbard, Hillary Schwarb; 1University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Over the last decade, methamphetamine use has become an escalating epidemic throughout the United States. Methamphetamine use has been linked to several health and cognitive issues, including disrupted memory. However, evidence for methamphetamine-related changes in memory-structures in the brain (i.e., hippocampus) is mixed with possible sex-differences reported. Inconsistencies likely arise from small sample sizes, variability in length of abstinence, and samples that do not equally represent males and females. To address these issues, the current study (N=148) recruited 74 community-dwelling individuals currently using methamphetamine (37 male and 37 female) and 74 non-users (37 male and 37 female). Groups were matched on age, sex, and handedness. Participants completed questionnaires assessing past and current methamphetamine-use patterns and DSM-V criteria for methamphetamine use disorder. Group differences in left and right hippocampal volume were evaluated. Exploratory analyses assessed sex differences in hippocampal volume and the relationship between volume and use frequency. We found that individuals with chronic methamphetamine-use experience had significantly smaller hippocampal volumes compared to non-users, and this difference was similar for males and females. Interestingly, use patterns had a significant positive correlation with left and right hippocampal volume, such that individuals who reported using methamphetamine more frequently had larger hippocampi than those who used less frequently, but only for female participants. These findings underscore potentially disparate impacts of chronic methamphetamine use on hippocampus structure for females versus males. Characterizing, quantifying, and understanding these differences is critical for effectively evaluating treatment program efficacy throughout recovery across the sexes.
Topic Area: NEUROANATOMY