Cerebral perfusion and neuropsychological consequences of chronic cocaine use.
Research indicates that cocaine significantly constricts the cerebral vasculature and can lead to ischemic brain infarction. Long-term effects of intermittent or casual cocaine use in patients without symptoms of stroke or transient ischemic attack were investigated. Single-photon emission computed tomography with xenon-133 and [99mTc]hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime, magnetic resonance imaging, and selected neuropsychological measures were used to study cerebral perfusion, brain morphology, and cognitive functioning. Patients were drug free for at least 6 months before evaluation. All showed regions of significant cerebral hypoperfusion in the frontal, periventricular, and/or temporal-parietal areas. Deficits in attention, concentration, new learning, visual and verbal memory, word production, and visuomotor integration were observed. This study indicates that long-term cocaine use may produce sustained brain perfusion deficits and persistent neuropsychological compromise in some subgroups of cocaine-abusing patients.
Strickland
T L
TL
Department of Psychiatry, Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059.
Mena
I
I
Villanueva-Meyer
J
J
Miller
B L
BL
Cummings
J
J
Mehringer
C M
CM
Satz
P
P
Myers
H
H
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003042:Cocaine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D003042:Cocaine