Cortical metabolite alterations in abstinent cocaine and cocaine/alcohol-dependent subjects: proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging

Abstract

Chronic abuse of cocaine or alcohol is associated with structural, neuropathological and cognitive impairments that have been documented extensively. Little is known, however, about neurobiochemical changes in chronic substance abusers.We performed MRI and multi‐slice brain proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) to assess neuronal viability (via N‐acetylaspartate (NAA)) and white matter metabolite status in 22 4‐months‐abstinent individuals dependent on crack cocaine only and on both crack cocaine and alcohol. Compared to 11 non‐dependent controls we found (1) significantly lower NAA measures in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the combined cocaine‐dependent groups; (2) comparable spatial distribution and magnitude of these NAA effects for both cocaine‐dependent groups; (3) higher choline‐containing metabolites in frontal white matter of individuals dependent on both cocaine and alcohol; (4) absence of brain atrophy in both abstinent cocaine‐dependent samples; and (5) partial recovery from prefrontal cortical NAA loss, primarily with abstinence from alcohol. The MRSI findings suggest preferential neuronal damage to the frontal cortex of both cocaine‐dependent samples and gliosis in frontal white matter of individuals dependent on both alcohol and cocaine, conditions that persist for more than 4 months of abstinence.