Prefrontal GABA and glutamate levels correlate with impulsivity and cognitive function of prescription opioid addicts: A H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

Aim: Prescription opioids are psychoactive substances that can elicit many neuropsychological effects. There are no studies that directly demonstrate the effects of prescription opioid addiction (POA) on the human brain. This study aimed to quantify γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (Glu) levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of POA patients using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( H-MRS), and to explore their association with impulsive behavior and cognitive impairment.

Reliability of Glutamate Quantification in Human Nucleus Accumbens Using Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy at a 70-cm Wide-Bore Clinical 3T MRI System.

The human nucleus accumbens is a challenging region to study using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS) on a 70-cm wide-bore clinical 3T MRI system. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability for quantitative measurement of glutamate concentration in the nucleus accumbens using a 70-cm wide-bore clinical 3T MRI. H-MRS of the nucleus accumbens was acquired using the Point-Resolved Spectroscopic Sequence (PRESS) with echo time of 40 ms from 10 healthy volunteers (5 female; age range: 18-30 years) on two separate visits (a baseline, and 1-month time point).

Quantifying absolute glutamate concentrations in nucleus accumbens of prescription opioid addicts by using H MRS.

Introduction: The diagnosis of psychoactive substance use disorders has been based primarily on descriptive, symptomatic checklist criteria. In opioid addiction, there are no objective biological indicators specific enough to guide diagnosis, monitor disease status, and evaluate efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H MRS) of the brain has potential to identify and quantify biomarkers for the diagnosis of opioid dependence.