脑功能显像技术在药物成瘾研究中的应用及有关研究进展

在介绍脑功能显像技术在药物成瘾研究中的应用及国内外有关研究进展的同时,结合我们已完成或正在进行中的研究内容,探讨药物成瘾者在依赖、戒断、复发等不同状态下脑内血流灌注、葡萄糖代谢和神经受体及转运体等发生的形态和功能活动的改变,以寻找与渴求和复发相关的神经核团、神经通路及受体作用系统,进而明确病理性记忆的神经生物学基础,了解依赖和复发过程中神经机制,从而为寻找有效的治疗措施提供理论基础。

RECENT PROGRESS OF BRAIN FUNCTIONAL IMAGING IN DRUG ADDICTION

Functional image has been used to explore the neurobiological mechanism of addiction in the past two decades.In this review,we will discuss the application and the progress of the Positron Emission Tomography(PET),Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography(SPECT) and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging(fMRI) in the drug abuse.We also review our recent findings using PET,SPECT and fMRI in patients with opiate withdrawal and with methadone maintenance treatment.We found that the dopamine(transporter(DAT)) was significantly decreased in the brain of subjects with heroin abuse and these changes lasted for six months after abstinence from drug use,which indicates that drug abuse can induce long-lasting impairment in the brain.We also observed a significant decrease of regional cerebral blood flow(rCBF) in bilateral cerebral frontal lobes,temporal lobes, the insula and the ipsilateral basal nuclei in MDMA subjects.In our recent pilot study,we found the functional activation induced by heroin cues was significant different in many brain area of heroin addict and control subject.Taken together,functional images play a critical role in understanding the neuronal processes of addiction and will lead the direction in future research for medication development of addiction treatment.