Quantitative morphology of the caudate and putamen in patients with cocaine dependence

Objective: Deficits in dopaminergic function may contribute to hypertrophy of striata[ structures associated with typical neuroleptic treatment, in li ght of a body of research that has associated chronic cocaine use with extr apyramidal symptoms and striatal dopaminergic depletion, the authors looked for evidence of striatal dysmorphology in patients with chronic cocaine de pendence. Method: Caudate, putamen, and total brain volumes were quantified by means of magnetic resonance imaging in 25 cocaine-dependent and 20 healthy subjec ts. Results: Normalized caudate and putamen Volumes were 3.40% and 9.18% larger , respectively, in the cocaine-dependent subjects. Conclusions: These observations suggest that deficits in dopaminergic funct ion associated with cocaine dependence may contribute to striatal hypertrop hy.