Regional cerebral blood flow in cocaine- versus methamphetamine-dependent patients with a history of alcoholism

Although abuse of cocaine or methamphetamine usually takes place in the con text of heavy drinking, there is little information on the effects of such substance use comorbidity on brain perfusion. We explored similarities and differences in the effects of these two drugs in combination with alcohol o n brain function using SPECT. Global and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) were examined in 7 abstinent cocaine-dependent alcoholics (CDA; mean age = 39.2 yr, S.D. = 9.2 yr), 7 abstinent methamphetamine-dependent alcoholics (MDA; mean age = 36.8 yr, S.D. = 5.0 yr), and 7 non-alcoholic/non-stimulant abusing controls (NAC; mean age = 37.3 yr, S.D. = 9.6 yr). MDA had signifi cantly lower global CBF than CDA who, in rum, were significantly lower than NAG. In addition, CDA had abnormal perfusion in the superior posterior fro ntal region compared to NAG; while MDA did not display specific regional de ficits. Therefore, it appears that cocaine alters the relationship between global and regional CBF in alcoholics, while methamphetamine does not.