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Limbic responsiveness to procaine in cocaine-addicted subjects
B Adinoff1, M D Devous, S M Best
1Department of Psychiatry, Nuclear Medicine Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA. byron.adinoff@utsouthwestern.edu
The American Journal of Psychiatry
|March 7, 2001
Summary
Repeated cocaine use may cause permanent brain changes. Cocaine addicts show altered brain responses to stimuli, suggesting localized sensitization in the orbitofrontal cortex.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Addiction Research
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- The limbic system is crucial for emotion, motivation, and memory.
- Repeated cocaine use may lead to lasting changes in brain function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate limbic neuronal hyperexcitability (sensitization) in cocaine addicts.
- To determine if chronic cocaine use alters brain response to limbic stimulation.
Main Methods:
- Used single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF).
- Compared brain response to procaine (a limbic stimulus) in cocaine-dependent males and healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Cocaine addicts showed orbitofrontal cortex activation after procaine; controls showed activation in other limbic areas.
- Cocaine addicts had lower rCBF in the orbitofrontal cortex during placebo conditions compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- The observed pattern in cocaine addicts resembles epilepsy, suggesting localized orbitofrontal sensitization.
- Findings indicate potential permanent brain changes in cocaine addiction.