REGIONAL CEREBRAL BLOOD-FLOW DURING ACUTE AND CHRONIC ABSTINENCE FROMCOMBINED COCAINE-ALCOHOL ABUSE

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was assessed using SPECT and HMPAO in ten cocaine abusers within 72 h of last cocaine use and then after 21 days of abstinence. In comparison to normals the cocaine abusers h ad significantly reduced rCBF in 11 of 14 brain regions with the large st reductions in the frontal and parietal cortex and greater rCBF in t he brain stem. These perfusion defects appeared to be primarily due to combined alcohol and cocaine abuse and frontal but not parietal defec ts appeared to resolve partially during 21 days of abstinence. (C) 199 8 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.