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Hypoperfusion of inferior frontal brain regions in abstinent alcoholics: a pilot SPECT study
D A Gansler1, G J Harris, M Oscar-Berman
1Department of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine, New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Objective:
This pilot study evaluated hypotheses concerning the relationship between cerebral hypoperfusion and residual deficits in the functioning of frontal brain systems in abstinent long-term alcoholics.
Method:
The participants (N = 22) were 10 healthy, abstinent alcoholics (9 men) and 12 age-equivalent nonalcoholic controls (10 men). Cerebral blood flow was observed through the use of regionally specific computer-derived quantitative analysis of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) perfusion images. Measures of alcohol use, abstinence and neuropsychological functioning were also obtained to relate to SPECT findings.
Results:
A positive relationship was observed between perfusion levels in the left inferior frontal brain region and years of sobriety. Alcoholics with less than 4 years of sobriety had significantly reduced left inferior frontal perfusion compared with both nonalcoholic controls and alcoholics having longer periods of sobriety.
Conclusions:
The findings support the hypothesis that frontal brain abnormalities in alcoholics may subside with extended abstinence.