title: PET and SPECT in drug and substance abuse.
abstract: The use of imaging in the evaluation of the brain under the influence of drugs has evolved into a functional assessment of its processes. It has been shown that SPECT and PET imaging studies demonstrate selected areas that are affected by multiple drugs among substance abusers. This paper illustrates examples of different drugs and how their effect on the brain may be portrayed by imaging applications. The developing "road maps" that we have obtained possess multidimensional applications. They can be useful to confirm specific diseases, clarify diagnosis wherein the clinical picture is not observed, aid in the development of new treatment evaluations and also provide researchers a better insight in the detection and functionality of dementia and specific mental illnesses processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. cmena@lsuhsc.edu
authors.forename: J Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mena
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cuellar
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Riascos
mesh_terms: D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon