title: Long-Term Changes in Drug Craving and Nutritional Status of Opioid Addicts with Nucleus Accumbens Ablative Stereotactic Neurosurgery at Five Years Postoperatively.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) has been proven to be associated with drug and food craving. NAcc ablative neurosurgery has been suggested to modulate the balance of the brain reward system and thus alleviate drug dependence in patients. It has been hypothesized that it would also alleviate food craving in patients as well as altering their nutritional status.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to estimate the effect of NAcc neurosurgery on drug craving and nutritional status in patients with drug dependence at 5 years postoperatively.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 100 patients with NAcc surgery and 92 patients without surgery. Body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BF%) were examined to assess nutritional status, and questionnaires were administered to assess drug craving.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the nonsurgery group and the relapse patients from the surgery group, the nonrelapse patients from the surgery group had higher BMI and BF% but lower drug craving. There were no significant differences between the nonsurgery group and the relapse patients in BMI, but the relapse patients had higher drug craving than the nonsurgery group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term follow-up suggested that NAcc ablative neurosurgery would alleviate drug craving and yield a better nutritional status if individuals sustained abstinence. It would increase drug craving but would not ruin the nutritional status of patients even when individuals relapsed postoperatively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Jingdu Hospital, Nanjing, PR China.
authors.forename: He-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shun-Nan
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Hai-Bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chong-Wang
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Xue-Lian
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Guo-Dong
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D066249:Craving; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000601:surgery*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D016896:Treatment Outcome