Regional cerebral blood flow during acute and chronic abstinence from combined cocaine-alcohol abuse.

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was assessed using SPECT and HMPAO in ten cocaine abusers within 72 h of last cocaine use and then after 21 days of abstinence. In comparison to normals the cocaine abusers had significantly reduced rCBF in 11 of 14 brain regions with the largest reductions in the frontal and parietal cortex and greater rCBF in the brain stem. These perfusion defects appeared to be primarily due to combined alcohol and cocaine abuse and frontal but not parietal defects appeared to resolve partially during 21 days of abstinence.