BACKGROUND: Previous neuroimaging studies have documented changes in the brain of heroin addicts. However, few researches have detailed whether such changes can be amended after short-term abstinence. METHODS: We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate gray matter volume in 20 heroin-dependent patients at 3 days and at 1 month after heroin abstinence; 20 normal subjects were also included as controls. RESULTS: Decreased gray matter density in frontal cortex, cingulate and the occipital regions were found in heroin users after three days of abstinence. In contrast, after 1-month abstinence, no significant difference was found in superior frontal gyrus between heroin addicts and controls, but changes in other brain regions, including right middle frontal gyrus, left cingulate gyrus and left inferior occipital gyrus, still remained. CONCLUSION: Our findings illustrate that abnormal gray matter in some brain regions of heroin addicts can return to normal after one-month abstinence.
BACKGROUND: Previous neuroimaging studies have documented changes in the brain of heroin addicts. However, few researches have detailed whether such changes can be amended after short-term abstinence. METHODS: We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate gray matter volume in 20 heroin-dependent patients at 3 days and at 1 month after heroin abstinence; 20 normal subjects were also included as controls. RESULTS: Decreased gray matter density in frontal cortex, cingulate and the occipital regions were found in heroin users after three days of abstinence. In contrast, after 1-month abstinence, no significant difference was found in superior frontal gyrus between heroin addicts and controls, but changes in other brain regions, including right middle frontal gyrus, left cingulate gyrus and left inferior occipital gyrus, still remained. CONCLUSION: Our findings illustrate that abnormal gray matter in some brain regions of heroin addicts can return to normal after one-month abstinence.
Authors: Donna E Murray; Timothy C Durazzo; Thomas P Schmidt; Troy A Murray; Christoph Abé; Joseph Guydish; Dieter J Meyerhoff Journal: Addict Biol Date: 2017-06-19 Impact factor: 4.280
Authors: Christian L Seifert; Stefano Magon; Till Sprenger; Undine E Lang; Christian G Huber; Niklaus Denier; Marc Vogel; André Schmidt; Ernst-Wilhelm Radue; Stefan Borgwardt; Marc Walter Journal: Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci Date: 2014-12-03 Impact factor: 5.270
Authors: Scott Mackey; Kees-Jan Kan; Bader Chaarani; Nelly Alia-Klein; Albert Batalla; Samantha Brooks; Janna Cousijn; Alain Dagher; Michiel de Ruiter; Sylvane Desrivieres; Sarah W Feldstein Ewing; Rita Z Goldstein; Anna E Goudriaan; Mary M Heitzeg; Kent Hutchison; Chiang-Shan R Li; Edythe D London; Valentina Lorenzetti; Maartje Luijten; Rocio Martin-Santos; Angelica M Morales; Martin P Paulus; Tomas Paus; Godfrey Pearlson; Renée Schluter; Reza Momenan; Lianne Schmaal; Gunter Schumann; Rajita Sinha; Zsuzsika Sjoerds; Dan J Stein; Elliot A Stein; Nadia Solowij; Susan Tapert; Anne Uhlmann; Dick Veltman; Ruth van Holst; Henrik Walter; Margaret J Wright; Murat Yucel; Deborah Yurgelun-Todd; Derrek P Hibar; Neda Jahanshad; Paul M Thompson; David C Glahn; Hugh Garavan; Patricia Conrod Journal: Prog Brain Res Date: 2015-11-04 Impact factor: 2.453