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Abstract #2504

MRI Evidence of Brain Structure Alterations in Adolescence Prenatally Exposed to Cocaine

Xu Chen1, Sonia Minnes2, Miaoping Wu2, John Jesberger1, Lynn Singer3,4, Jean Tkach1,5

1Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States; 2Mandel School of Applies Social Sciences, CWRU; 3Pediatrics, CWRU; 4Environmental Health Sciences, CWRU; 5Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH, United States


The structural effects of prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) on the developing brain are not well studied, particularly with the potential confounds of the environment as well as other prenatal drug exposure. In this study, we investigated the structural gray and white matter alterations in PCE adolescence using the analysis of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) respectively. After controlling for polydrug exposure and home quality environment, anatomically related gray and white matter alterations were revealed for PCE adolescence in both the right frontal lobe and the superior parietal lobule.