MAOA rs1137070 and heroin addiction interactively alter gray matter volume of the salience network

The rs1137070 polymorphism of monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) is associated with alcoholism and smoking behavior. However, the association between rs1137070 and heroin addiction remains unclear. In this study, we examined the allelic distribution of rs1137070 in 1,035 heroin abusers and 2,553 healthy controls and investigated the interactive effects of rs1137070 and heroin addiction on gray matter volume (GMV) based on 78 heroin abusers and 79 healthy controls. The C allele frequency of rs1137070 was significantly higher in heroin abusers. Heroin addiction and the rs1137070 variant interactively altered measures of GMV in the anterior cingulate cortex, orbital frontal cortex, temporal pole, and insula, which were correlated with cognitive function. Heroin abusers with the C allele had lower measures of GMV in these regions than the healthy controls with the same allele, whereas those with the T allele displayed a different trend. The altered brain regions were connected with white matter tracts, yielding a structural network that partially overlapped with the salience network. These findings suggest that the low activity-related C allele of MAOA rs1137070 is associated with an increase in the sensitivity to heroin addiction and the damaging effects of heroin abuse on cognition and the salience network.