Abstract
Understanding the brain mechanisms of heroin dependence is invaluable for developing effective treatment. Measurement of regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) provides a method to visualize brain circuits that are functionally impaired by heroin dependence. This study examined regional CBF alterations and their clinical associations in unmedicated heroin-dependent individuals (HDIs) using a relatively large sample. Sixty-eight (42 males, 26 females; age: 40.9 ± 7.3 years) HDIs and forty-seven (34 males, 13 females; age: 39.3 ± 9.2 years) matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent high-resolution T1 and whole-brain arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Additionally, clinical characteristics were collected for neurocognitive assessments. HDIs showed worse neuropsychological performance than HCs and had decreased relative CBF (rCBF) in the bilateral middle frontal gyrus (MFG), inferior temporal gyrus, precuneus, posterior cerebellar lobe, cerebellar vermis, and the midbrain adjacent to the ventral tegmental area; right posterior cingulate gyrus, thalamus, and calcarine. rCBF in the bilateral MFG was negatively correlated with Trail Making Test time in HDIs. HDIs had limbic, frontal, and parietal hypoperfusion areas. Low CBF in the MFG indicated cognitive impairment in HDIs. Together, these findings suggest the MFG as a critical region in HDIs and suggest ASL-derived CBF as a potential marker for use in heroin addiction studies.
Highlights
Heroin addiction has been a large societal and health problem worldwide for many decades
All human studies were approved by the local Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Second Xiang-Ya Hospital of Central South University
Using arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we identified hypoperfusion in frontal, temporal, and parietal areas in heroindependent individuals (HDIs), which was correlated with neuropsychological impairments in the patients
Summary
Heroin addiction has been a large societal and health problem worldwide for many decades. Long-term use of heroin induces progressive spongiform leukodystrophy, or heroin encephalopathy, resulting in a range of mental symptoms and somatic activity disorders. It is a major causal factor for the accelerated spread of AIDS, hepatitis C and other major infectious diseases due to the sharing of syringes among patients with addiction [1]. While tremendous research advances in heroin addiction have been achieved over the past decades, Decreased rCBF in HDIs heroin addiction treatment still has a high relapse rate. A major reason for the lack of an effective method for preventing relapse is the lack of a clear picture of heroin addiction-related brain mechanisms [4]
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