White matter abnormalities among the abstinent patients with dependence on sublingual buprenorphine,scopolamine and promethazine:a longitudinal diffuse tensor imaging study / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objectives To explore the brain white matter integrity among the patients with buprenorphine tables,scopolamine and promethazine solution(BSP) dependence after abstinence.Methods BSP-dependent patients( n=16)and age/eduction-matched healthy control subjects ( n=18) were assessed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) after 3 days,1 month and 2 months of abstinence.White matter (WM) integrity was measured with DTI as fractional anisotropy ( FA),an index of intravoxel orientational coherence of white matter fibers.Results Compared with health controls,FA values were significantly lower in frontal,parietal,temporal and corpus callosum in the BSP addicts after 3-day withdrawal (P＜0.001,uncorrected).Increased FA values in left superior frontal cortex,right medial frontal gyms and fight inferior parietal gyrus were found in BSP users after 2 months of abstinence (P ＜0.001,uncorrected).However,no significant difference was found between these BSP addicts after 1-month abstince.Compared with health controls,BSP dependent subjects still exhibited significantly lower FA in the corpus callosum,frontal,parietal and temporal WM after 2-month withdrawal (P ＜ 0.001,uncorrected ).Conclusion The abnormalities showed less recovery in BSP dependent individuals with abstinence in white matter that suggests that rehabilitation time should be further prolonged for BSP addicts and emphasis cognitive-behavioral therapy to assist BSP abusers rebuild social functions.