Frontocortical N-acetylaspartate reduction associated with long-term i.v. heroin use.
To examine possible metabolic frontal lobe alterations in i.v. heroin-dependent patients with different histories of concomitant substance use, N-acetylaspartate (NAA), a putative marker of neuronal viability, was measured by (1)H-MRS. Compared with controls, NAA levels in patients were reduced by 7% in gray matter (p = 0.015) but not in white matter. To what extent comorbid conditions or substance use, including alcohol, contributed to these frontocortical metabolic changes remains to be elucidated.
Haselhorst
R
R
Biocenter, University of Basel, Switzerland.
Dürsteler-MacFarland
K M
KM
Scheffler
K
K
Ladewig
D
D
Müller-Spahn
F
F
Stohler
R
R
Seelig
J
J
Seifritz
E
E
D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism*; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male
D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate