Figure 3
From: Disrupted iron regulation in the brain and periphery in cocaine addiction
Cocaine-related abnormalities. (a) Illustration of the globus pallidus (GP), which was our region of interest. (b) Post hoc comparison of iron concentration in the GPe revealed significant differences between the groups, such that QSM levels in CUD patients with comorbid opiate dependence fell midway between the levels seen in healthy volunteers and CUD patients without comorbid opiate dependence. (c) Iron concentration in the GPi differed significantly between the groups, which was driven by significantly increased QSM in CUD patients without opiate dependence compared with healthy control volunteers. (Error bars denote s.e.m., **P < 0.005 and *P < 0.05). (d, e) In both CUD subgroups, excessive iron accumulation in the GPe was associated with the duration of cocaine use, supporting the notion that chronic cocaine use is implicated in the observed pathology. No relationships were observed between iron concentration in the GPi and the duration of cocaine use or with the duration of opiate use (for statistical details see text and Supplementary Material). CUD, cocaine use disorder; GPe, external GP; GPi, internal GP; QSM, quantitative susceptibility maps.
