OBJECTIVE Midbrain dopamine function plays a key role in translational models of substance use disorders. Whether midbrain dopamine function is associated with substance use frequency and severity or reward function in 20-24 year-olds remains a critical gap in knowledge. The authors collected neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (NM-MRI), a validated index of lifetime dopamine function in the substantia nigra/ventral tegmentum area (SN-VTA) complex, to characterize altered dopamine function. METHOD Midbrain NM-MRI contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was acquired in 135 20-24 year-olds (105 women and 30 men). A composite measure of cumulative substance use was derived from factor analysis of lifetime alcohol intoxications, lifetime cannabis use, use of nicotine in heaviest month, number of classes of drugs used, and ever meeting DSM-5 criteria for a SUD. Trait reward function was assessed by self-report. RESULTS Cumulative substance use was significantly positively associated with NM-MRI CNR in a large area of the bilateral SN-VTA complex, an effect which was driven by women (who comprised most of the sample) and by voxels with greater NM-MRI CNR, including the ventral tegmentum area. NM-MRI CNR was not associated with individual differences in trait reward function. CONCLUSIONS History of substance use is associated with greater NM signal in NM-rich areas of the midbrain, especially in women. Future longitudinal studies with repeated NM-MRI assessments, especially in younger cohorts and while including more men, are warranted to evaluate whether aberrant dopamine function predates, follows, or is modulated by substance use.

中文翻译：

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神经黑色素敏感 MRI 信号与年轻女性终生物质使用的关联。


目的 中脑多巴胺功能在物质使用障碍的转化模型中起关键作用。中脑多巴胺功能是否与 20-24 岁人群的物质使用频率和严重程度或奖励功能相关仍然是一个关键的知识差距。作者收集了神经黑色素敏感磁共振成像 （NM-MRI），这是黑质/腹侧被盖区 （SN-VTA） 复合体中寿命多巴胺功能的验证指标，用于表征多巴胺功能改变。方法 在 135 名 20-24 岁的人 （105 名女性和 30 名男性） 中获得中脑 NM-MRI 对比噪声比 （CNR）。累积物质使用的综合测量来自对终生酒精中毒、终生大麻使用、最重月份尼古丁使用、使用的药物类别数量以及曾经满足 SUD 的 DSM-5 标准的因子分析。通过自我报告评估性状奖励功能。结果在双侧 SN-VTA 复合体的大面积中，累积物质使用与 NM-MRI CNR 呈显著正相关，这种影响是由女性（占样本的大部分）和具有更大 NM-MRI CNR 的体素驱动的，包括腹侧被盖区域。NM-MRI CNR 与性状奖励函数的个体差异无关。结论 物质使用史与中脑富含 NM 的区域的 NM 信号增强相关，尤其是在女性中。未来进行重复 NM-MRI 评估的纵向研究，尤其是在年轻队列中，同时纳入更多男性，以评估异常多巴胺功能是否先于、随后或受物质使用调节。