Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scans in patients with alcohol use disorder

Abstract

Background: Diminished uptake of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been observed in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) but little statistical contrast of the regional brain deficits has been undertaken. This study examined prefrontal cortex interregional Brodmann area differences to delineate patterns associated with behavioral, neurotransmitter, and general toxicity hypotheses of cerebral involvement in AUD. Methods: We obtained data from FDG positron emission tomography (PET) and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for 87 patients with AUD and 41 age-and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Patients were alcohol dependent and had negative breathalyzer tests at the time of imaging. They were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory, Alcohol Urge Questionnaire, Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale, Spielberger State/Trait Anxiety Scale, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, and the Drinker Inventory of Consequences (DrInC). PET images were co-registered to MRI and both voxel × voxel statistical mapping and stereotaxic regions of interest were obtained.Results: Compared with healthy volunteers, patients with AUD had lower relative metabolic rates in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes, localizable most prominently to the dorsolateral and nearly all orbital prefrontal cortex, superior temporal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule. In contrast, metabolic rates in the medial orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex, and the subcortical structures (thalamus, cerebellum, ventral striatum, and the dorsal raphe nucleus) in patients were significantly greater. The severity of alcohol-related consequences as assessed by the DrInC scale was most highly associated with lower metabolism in the caudate, dorsolateral prefrontal, frontopolar, and anteroposterior cingulate cortex.

Altered brain glucose metabolism in nicotine use but not in hazardous alcohol consumption or problem gambling of healthy middle-aged adults

“…Alcohol consumption negatively correlates with total cerebral brain and grey matter volumes 10,44 , even in middle aged individuals 45 . The findings of 18 F-FDG PET imaging associated alcohol use disorder with decreased glucose metabolism in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes compared with age- and sex-matched healthy persons 46 . The present study did not identify a correlation between AUDIT scores and brain glucose metabolism.…”

3-Methoxy-Phencyclidine Induced Psychotic Disorder: A Literature Review and an 18F-FDG PET/CT Case Report

“…Within this framework, it has been reported that distinct networks can underlie different cognitive abnormalities in SUD, and a differential association has been found between specific executive functions (such as inhibition and flexibility on one side, self-regulation, decision-making, and emotion processing on the other) and the regional metabolism in the prefrontal cortex, frontal gyrus, and temporoparietal regions [ 85 ]. Further, reduced impulse control has been noticed in relation to decreased metabolic rates in the frontal executive areas, as well as in alcoholic samples [ 86 ].…”

Updated Perspectives on the Neurobiology of Substance Use Disorders Using Neuroimaging

“…Increases in metabolic rates were pronounced in the striatum and cingulate areas, consistent with a suppressed reward system. 57 …”