Moreno-López, LauraStamatakis, Emmanuel AFernández-Serrano, Maria JoséGómez-Río, ManuelRodríguez-Fernández, AntonioPérez-García, MiguelVerdejo-García, Antonio2012-11-232012-11-232012-06-29Moreno-López L, Stamatakis EA, Fernández-Serrano MJ, Gómez-Río M, Rodríguez-Fernández A, Pérez-García M et al. Neural Correlates of the Severity of Cocaine, Heroin, Alcohol, MDMA and Cannabis Use in Polysubstance Abusers: A Resting-PET Brain Metabolism Study. PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e39830.http://hdl.handle.net/10668/651INTRODUCTION Functional imaging studies of addiction following protracted abstinence have not been systematically conducted to look at the associations between severity of use of different drugs and brain dysfunction. Findings from such studies may be relevant to implement specific interventions for treatment. The aim of this study was to examine the association between resting-state regional brain metabolism (measured with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET) and the severity of use of cocaine, heroin, alcohol, MDMA and cannabis in a sample of polysubstance users with prolonged abstinence from all drugs used. METHODS Our sample consisted of 49 polysubstance users enrolled in residential treatment. We conducted correlation analyses between estimates of use of cocaine, heroin, alcohol, MDMA and cannabis and brain metabolism (BM) (using Statistical Parametric Mapping voxel-based (VB) whole-brain analyses). In all correlation analyses conducted for each of the drugs we controlled for the co-abuse of the other drugs used. RESULTS The analysis showed significant negative correlations between severity of heroin, alcohol, MDMA and cannabis use and BM in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and temporal cortex. Alcohol use was further associated with lower metabolism in frontal premotor cortex and putamen, and stimulants use with parietal cortex. CONCLUSIONS Duration of use of different drugs negatively correlated with overlapping regions in the DLPFC, whereas severity of cocaine, heroin and alcohol use selectively impact parietal, temporal, and frontal-premotor/basal ganglia regions respectively. The knowledge of these associations could be useful in the clinical practice since different brain alterations have been associated with different patterns of execution that may affect the rehabilitation of these patients.enTrastornos relacionados con el uso de sustanciasTomografía de Emisión de PositronesAbuso de MarihuanaDependencia de HeroínaTrastornos Relacionados con CocaínaAlcoholismoN-Metil-3,4-metilenodioxianfetaminaConducta AdictivaEncéfaloNeuroimagen FuncionalHumanosVías NerviosasMedical Subject Headings::Diseases::Substance-Related DisordersMedical Subject Headings::Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Diagnosis::Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures::Diagnostic Imaging::Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted::Tomography, Emission-Computed::Positron-Emission TomographyMedical Subject Headings::Diseases::Substance-Related Disorders::Marijuana AbuseMedical Subject Headings::Diseases::Substance-Related Disorders::Opioid-Related Disorders::Heroin DependenceMedical Subject Headings::Diseases::Substance-Related Disorders::Cocaine-Related DisordersMedical Subject Headings::Diseases::Substance-Related Disorders::Alcohol-Related Disorders::AlcoholismMedical Subject Headings::Psychiatry and Psychology::Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms::Behavior::Impulsive Behavior::Compulsive Behavior::Behavior, AddictiveMedical Subject Headings::Anatomy::Nervous System::Central Nervous System::BrainMedical Subject Headings::Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Diagnosis::Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures::Diagnostic Imaging::Neuroimaging::Functional NeuroimagingMedical Subject Headings::Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment::Diagnosis::Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures::Diagnostic Imaging::Neuroimaging::Functional NeuroimagingMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Organic Chemicals::Amines::Ethylamines::Phenethylamines::AmphetaminesMedical Subject Headings::Chemicals and Drugs::Organic Chemicals::Amines::Ethylamines::Phenethylamines::Amphetamines::N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineMedical Subject Headings::Anatomy::Nervous System::Neural Pathwaysresearch article22768136open access0.1371/journal.pone.00398301932-6203PMC3387209