Instituto Rafael Coullaut de Psiquiatría, C/José Abascal 3, 28003 Madrid, Spain.
Int J Neural Syst. 2014 Feb;24(1):1450005. doi: 10.1142/S0129065714500051. Epub 2013 Dec 5.
Drug abusers typically consume not just one but several types of drugs, starting from alcohol and marijuana consumption, and then dramatically lapsing into addiction to harder drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, or amphetamine. The brain of drug abusers presents various structural and neurophysiological abnormalities, some of which may predate drug consumption onset. However, how these changes translate into modifications in functional brain connectivity is still poorly understood. To characterize functional connectivity patterns, we recorded Electroencephalogram (EEG) activity from 21 detoxified drug abusers and 20 age-matched control subjects performing a simple counting task and at rest activity. To evaluate the cortical brain connectivity network we applied the Synchronization Likelihood algorithm. The results showed that drug abusers had higher synchronization levels at low frequencies, mainly in the θ band (4-8 Hz) between frontal and posterior cortical regions. During the counting task, patients showed increased synchronization in the β (14-35 Hz), and γ (35-45 Hz) frequency bands, in fronto-posterior and interhemispheric temporal regions. Taken together 'slow-down' at rest and task-related 'over-exertion' could indicate that the brain of drug abusers is suffering from a premature form of ageing. Future studies will clarify whether this condition can be reversed following prolonged periods of abstinence.
吸毒者通常不仅吸食一种毒品，而是几种，从饮酒和吸食大麻开始，然后急剧陷入更难戒除的毒品，如可卡因、海洛因或安非他命。吸毒者的大脑表现出各种结构和神经生理异常，其中一些可能早于毒品使用开始出现。然而，这些变化如何转化为功能性大脑连接的改变仍知之甚少。为了描述功能连接模式，我们记录了 21 名戒毒后的吸毒者和 20 名年龄匹配的对照者在执行简单计数任务和休息活动时的脑电图（EEG）活动。为了评估皮质脑连接网络，我们应用了同步似然算法。结果表明，吸毒者在低频（4-8Hz）时，主要在前额和后皮质区域之间，具有更高的同步水平。在计数任务中，患者在前额-后皮质和半球间颞叶区域的β（14-35Hz）和γ（35-45Hz）频段显示出更高的同步性。总的来说，休息时的“减速”和任务相关的“过度劳累”可能表明吸毒者的大脑正在遭受一种过早的衰老形式。未来的研究将阐明在长期禁欲后这种情况是否可以逆转。
