REGIONAL CEREBRAL BLOOD-FLOW AND COMORBID DIAGNOSIS IN ABSTINENT OPIOID ADDICTS

Studies using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) have found low cerebral blood flow (CBF) in frontal and parietal cortices i n patients with chronic opiate dependence. In the present study, SPECT with Tc-99m-HMPAO as tracer was used to compare 27 detoxified opiate addicts with nine healthy control subjects. All the subjects were eval uated with clinical psychiatric (DSM-IV), psychometric and neuropsycho logical measures. Compared with normal control subjects, the addicts s howed a non-significant reduction of whole brain perfusion values. Sig nificant hypoperfusion in the right frontal and left temporal lobes wa s found in addicts with comorbid depression, and a significant decreas e in CBF in the right frontal lobe was observed in those with antisoci al tendencies. A significant negative correlation emerged between Depr ession subscale scores on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Invent ory and left temporal CBF in the patients. No significant correlations were found, however, between measures of cognition and CBF in opiate addicts. The asymmetrical findings in CBF that characterized the addic ts relative to normal control subjects may be more closely related to mood and behavioral traits than to substance abuse, per se. (C) 1998 E lsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.