Prefrontal and temporal gray matter density decreases in opiate dependence

• DOI: 10.1007/s00213-005-0198-x
• Publication Date: 2005-12-20T15:05:26Z
• Authors: In Kyoon Lyoo; Mark H. Pollack; Marisa M. Silveri; Kyung Heup Ahn; Claudia I. Diaz; Jaeuk Hwang; Seog Ju Kim; Deborah A. Yurgel...; Marc J. Kaufman; Perry F. Renshaw
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Prefrontal Cortex; Opioid-Related Disorders; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Axons; Temporal Lobe; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; Humans; Female

There have been only a few structural brain-imaging studies, with varied findings, of opiate-dependent subjects. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) is suitable for studying whole brain-wise structural brain changes in opiate-dependent subjects.The objective of the current study is to explore gray matter density in opiate-dependent subjects.Gray matter density in 63 opiate-dependent subjects and 46 age- and sex-matched healthy comparison subjects was compared using VBM.Relative to healthy comparison subjects, opiate-dependent subjects exhibited decreased gray matter density in bilateral prefrontal cortex [Brodmann areas (BA) 8, 9, 10, 11, and 47], bilateral insula (BA 13), bilateral superior temporal cortex (BA 21 and 38), left fusiform cortex (BA 37), and right uncus (BA 28).This study reports that opiate-dependent subjects have gray matter density decreases in prefrontal and temporal cortex, which may be associated with behavioral and neuropsychological dysfunction in opiate-dependent subjects.