Napapon Sailasuta1, Osama Abulseoud2,
Martha Hernandez2,3, Thao T. Tran1,3, Brian D. Ross1,3
1Clinical MR Spectroscopy, Huntington
Medical Research Institutes, Pasadena, CA, United States; 2University
of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United
States; 3Rudi Schulte Research Institute, Santa Barbara , CA,
United States
Does
excitatory drug abuse, specifically of methamphetamine, have the expected
effect on the major excitatory neurotransmitter, glutamate? Using TE-Average at 3 Tesla, and examining
frontal white matter, site of the major neuropsychological deficits in this
patient population, we describe a 20% increase in brain glutamate. This is accompanied by the previously
described 15% reduction in the neuronal marker NAA. The two neurochemical changes are
statistically correlated (P<0.003) inviting the question whether the one
is causative of the other. The hypothesis linking excitatory drug use with
excitatory neurotransmitter excess is confirmed. Longitudinal studies are in progress to
answer that new question.