Abstract | BACKGROUND: The habenula-pancreas axis regulates the stimulatory effects of nicotine on blood glucose levels and may participate in the emergence of type 2 diabetes in human tobacco smokers. This secondary analysis of young adults from the Human Connectome Project (HCP-YA) evaluated whether smoking status links the relationship between habenular volume and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), a marker of long-term glycemic control. METHODS: Habenula segmentation was performed using a fully-automated myelin content-based approach in HCP-YA participants and the results were inspected visually (n = 693; aged 22-37 years). A linear regression analysis was used with habenular volume as the dependent variable, the smoking-by-HbA1c interaction as the independent variable of interest, and age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, income, employment status, body mass index, and total gray matter volume as covariates. RESULTS: Habenula volume and HbA1c were similar in smokers and nonsmokers. There was a significant interaction effect (F(1, 673)= 5.03, p = 0.025) indicating that habenular volume was related to HbA1c in a manner that depended on smoking status. Among participants who were smokers (n = 120), higher HbA1c was associated with apparently larger habenular volume (β = 6.74, standard error=2.36, p = 0.005). No such association between habenular volume and HbA1c was noted among participants who were nonsmokers (n = 573). DISCUSSION:
Blood glucose levels over an extended time period, reflected by HbA1c, were correlated with habenular volume in smokers, consistent with a relationship between the habenula and blood glucose homeostasis in smokers. Future studies are needed to evaluate how habenular function relates to glycemic control in smokers and nonsmokers.
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Authors | Manish K Jha, Joo-Won Kim, Paul J Kenny, Cherise Chin Fatt, Abu Minhajuddin, Ramiro Salas, Benjamin A Ely, Matthew Klein, Chadi G Abdallah, Junqian Xu, Madhukar H Trivedi |
Journal | Psychoneuroendocrinology
(Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Vol. 131
Pg. 105321
(09 2021)
ISSN: 1873-3360 [Electronic] England |
PMID | 34157587
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Copyright | Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd. |
Chemical References |
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Topics |
- Adult
- Glycated Hemoglobin
(metabolism)
- Habenula
(anatomy & histology)
- Humans
- Organ Size
- Smoking
(epidemiology, metabolism)
- Young Adult
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