Structural Abnormalities in the Brains of Human Subjects Who Use Methamphetamine

We visualize, for the first time, the profile of structural deficits in the human brain associated with chronic methamphetamine (MA) abuse. Studies of human subjects who have used MA chronically have revealed deficits in dopaminergic and serotonergic systems and cerebral metabolic abnormalities. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and new computational brain-mapping techniques, we determined the pattern of structural brain alterations associated with chronic MA abuse in human subjects and related these deficits to cognitive impairment. We used high-resolution MRI and surface-based computational image analyses to map regional abnormalities in the cortex, hippocampus, white matter, and ventricles in 22 human…

• NI
  National Institute of Mental Health
• NI
  National Institute on Drug Abuse

  Award: DA50038
• NC
  National Center for Research Resources

  Awards: EB01651, RR13642, RR00865, RR019771, P41 RR13642