Purpose: Functional neuroimaging studies following alcohol cessation have demonstrated that chronic alcohol use globally reduces neuronal activity. Less is known about the regional brain effects of previous use patterns.
Methods: 14 adults meeting DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence (age 35, 8 SD; 10 men) and participating in a double-blind detoxification medication study underwent a brain perfusion Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scan on day 7-9 (mean 7.6, .5 SD) following their last drink and 2-3 days since their last detoxification medication. Tc99m-ECD (Neurolite) was administered iv in subjects with eyes closed. Relative perfusion scans were obtained on a triple-headed camera, normalized into Talairach Space and statistically analyzed using SPM96.
Results: Six patients with > 2 previous detoxifications were compared with 6 patients in their first detoxification (age and medication matched). First episode patients had significantly greater relative activity in the bilateral anterior temporal poles, amygdala (see Figure 1) and visual cortex (see Figure 2) (p<0.01). Further analysis (n=14) showed that the number of previous detoxifications negatively correlated with the relative activity in these same regions (p< 0.05).Results: Six patients with > 2 previous detoxifications were compared with 6 patients in their first detoxification (age and medication matched). First episode patients had significantly greater relative activity in the bilateral anterior temporal poles, amygdala (see Figure 1) and visual cortex (see Figure 2) (p<0.01). Further analysis (n=14) showed that the number of previous detoxifications negatively correlated with the relative activity in these same regions (p< 0.05).
Conclusions: Contrary to our initial hypothesis based on sensitization, the preliminary results suggest that on day 7 of detoxification, subjects with multiple previous detoxifications have decreased visual cortex, amygdala and anterior paralimbic blood flow. Perfusion SPECT appears to be an appropriate tool for investigating the effect of previous alcohol use on relative regional brain activity.
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