Forty-two gastrectomized patients (mean age 56 years) with a serum B12 level less than 200 pg/ml were studied by psychological testing and electroencephalography. A total of 50 per cent exhibited mild to moderate or more severe intellectual impairment, judging by the history and psychological testing. EEG abnormalities were found, mainly in the form of reduced dominant activity, in 48 per cent. The results of psychological testing were in accurate conformity with the findings of dementia due to other reasons. The characteristic findings were depression and lability of affect, with a high frequency of suicidal attempts (20 per cent). We interpret the cerebral abnormalities as a result of vitamin B12 deficiency.
Computed tomography was performed in 9 male patients with a diagnosis of opiate dependence and in 9 age-matched psychiatric controls (neurotic depression). Patients with a history or diagnosis of another substance dependence (alcohol, cocaine, cannabis) were excluded from the study. The volumes of internal and external components of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured with a point-counting stereological method. Analysis of variance with age as a covariate revealed a significant enlargement of external and external CSF spaces in male patients with opiate dependence. There was no significant correlation between the length of opiate dependence and the volumes of internal and external CSF spaces. The present results suggest that opiate dependence is associated with structural brain alterations. However, the relationship between opiate dependence and structural brain changes is complex and still not well understood.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.