Resting regional cerebral blood flow and gambling task performance in cocaine-dependent subjects and healthy comparison subjects.
OBJECTIVE
Orbitofrontal cortex regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) is lower in cocaine-dependent subjects than in non-cocaine-dependent subjects. Performance on the Gambling Task, a test of decision making, is a putative correlate of orbitofrontal cortex activity and is reportedly impaired in drug-dependent subjects. The authors tested the hypothesis that lower Gambling Task scores would be associated with lower resting orbitofrontal cortex rCBF in cocaine-dependent subjects.


METHODS
Fifteen healthy comparison subjects and 13 abstinent cocaine-dependent subjects underwent resting single photon emission computed tomography to measure rCBF, after which they completed the Gambling Task.


RESULTS
Resting anterior cingulate and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex rCBF significantly correlated with performance on the Gambling Task, but orbitofrontal cortex rCBF did not. Left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex rCBF was lower in the cocaine-dependent subjects than in the comparison subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Resting anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex rCBF is significantly related to decision making, as assessed by the Gambling Task.
D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000098:blood supply; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012146:Rest; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime