Analyzing Effects of Intra-Uterine Cocaine Exposure on Adolescent Brain Structure with Symmetric Diffeomorphisms

Cocaine exposure (CE) nzug conzpronzise the developing brain through disruption of neural ontogeny in dopaminergic systems, erects seconda? to fetal hypoxenzia, and, perhaps, via altered cei-ebroiascular I-eactivity. Although studies in adult cocaine addicts show decreases in gi-ay nzattel; white inattel; and fiinctional connectivity there are few investigations to date regarding intra-uterine cocaine exposure (IUCE) in young subjects. The existing literature suggests that long term CE coitsequeitces irt adolescents nzap be subtle 01- nzasked by other variables. Tlzei-efore, sensitive nzethods of analysis are needed. Here, we describe our most recent methods for deriving an optiinal pediatric atlas froin the 49 subject IUCE population invoh>edi n this study. Our nzetlzod, synznzetric nornzalization (SyN), is entirely syimnetric, in that both the pair wise registmtion and gi-oup wise I-egistmtion methods do not depend on the ordering of the input data. The method eliminates atlas selection by deriving an optiinal shape and intensity atlas fi’oin the data. PreliininaFy results using SyN indicate signijcant size dvfei- ewes in caudate rtuclei arid the spleniunz of the c o p i s callosunz, suggesting CE-i-elated detrinzent to the dopanzinergic and visiial systems. Fiirthernzore, we have found that, in conzparison, statistical parametric mapping (SPM) does not pi-oduce sigrti$cartt I-esults.