NEUROMETRIC QEEG STUDIES OF CRACK COCAINE DEPENDENCE AND TREATMENT OUTCOME

This paper presents an overview of the quantitative electrophysiologic al (QEEG) research on cocaine dependence conducted at Brain Research L aboratories of New York University Medical Center. These studies have demonstrated that subjects with DSM-III-R cocaine dependence (without dependence on any other substance) evaluated in the withdrawal state, have replicable abnormalities in brain function when evaluated at base line (approximately 5 to 10 days after last crack cocaine use (1,2) wh ich are still seen at one and six month follow-up evaluations. These a bnormalities were characterized by significant excess of relative alph a power and deficit of absolute and relative delta and theta power Abn ormalities were greater in anterior than posterior regions, and distur bances in interhemispheric relationships were also observed. In additi on, QEEG subtypes were identified within the population of cocaine dep endent subjects at baseline, and these subtypes were found to be signi ficantly related to subsequent length of stay in treatment. The relati onship between these QEEG findings and the neuropharmacology of cocain e dependence is discussed.