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Puac-Polanco P, Rovira À, Shah LM, Wiggins RH, Rivas Rodriguez F, Torres C. Imaging of Drug-Related Vasculopathy. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 2024; 34:113-128. [PMID: 37951697 DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2023.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Illicit and recreational drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, amphetamines, and marijuana, can result in drug-related vasculitis or vasculopathy. Similarly, the use of certain antithyroid, oncologic, and immunosuppressive medications for therapeutic purposes can lead to vasculopathy. This in turn may result in significant complications in the central nervous system, including intracranial hemorrhage and stroke. Cocaine abuse can also lead to midline destructive lesions of the sinonasal complex. MR imaging, Vessel Wall imaging, and CT/CTA are valuable imaging tools for the evaluation of patients with suspected drug-induced vasculopathy or vasculitis. This article reviews the pathomechanism, clinical presentation, and imaging findings of vasculopathy related to drug abuse and prescribed medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Puac-Polanco
- Department of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics, Box 232, General Campus Room 1466e, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Àlex Rovira
- Neuroradiology Section, Department of Radiology, Hospital Vall d'Hebron Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lubdha M Shah
- Division of Neuroradiology, University of Utah, 50 Medical Drive North, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - Richard H Wiggins
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah School of Medicine, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, 50 Medical Drive North, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
| | - Francisco Rivas Rodriguez
- Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology, University of Michigan, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, B2A205 Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5302, USA
| | - Carlos Torres
- Department of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics, Box 232, General Campus Room 1466e, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6, Canada.
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Tsuneya S, Makino Y, Chiba F, Kojima M, Yoshida M, Kishimoto T, Mukai H, Hattori S, Iwase H. Postmortem magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral globi pallidi lesions in a death associated with prolonged carbon monoxide poisoning: a case report. Int J Legal Med 2021; 135:921-928. [PMID: 33447889 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-021-02506-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A man and a woman were found dead in the same car with a burned coal briquette. The cause of death of the woman was assigned to acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning without difficulty based on typical findings associated with this condition, including elevation of carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb). However, the man had an unremarkable elevation of COHb and a higher rectal temperature compared to that of the woman. Postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) revealed ambiguous low-density areas in the bilateral globi pallidi. Further analysis by postmortem magnetic resonance (PMMR) imaging showed these lesions more clearly; the lesions appeared as marked high signal intensity areas on both the T2-weighted images and the fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences. A subsequent autopsy revealed signs of pneumonia, dehydration, starvation, and hypothermia, suggesting that the man died from prolonged CO poisoning. Both globi pallidi contained grossly ambiguous lesions, and a detailed neuropathologic investigation revealed these lesions to be coagulative necrotic areas; this finding was compatible with a diagnosis of prolonged CO poisoning. This case report shows that postmortem imaging, especially PMMR, is useful for detecting necrotic lesions associated with prolonged CO poisoning. This report further exemplifies the utility of PMMR for detecting brain lesions, which may be difficult to detect by macroscopic analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeki Tsuneya
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.,Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan
| | - Yohsuke Makino
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan. .,Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan.
| | - Fumiko Chiba
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.,Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Kojima
- Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan
| | - Maiko Yoshida
- Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan
| | - Takashi Kishimoto
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8677, Japan
| | - Hiroki Mukai
- Department of Radiology, Chiba University Hospital, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8677, Japan
| | - Shinya Hattori
- Department of Radiology, Chiba University Hospital, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8677, Japan
| | - Hirotaro Iwase
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.,Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan
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Iqbal I, Alam Khan MA, Ullah W. Can inhaled heroin be a cause of bilateral globus pallidus ischemic injury? Turk J Emerg Med 2019; 19:39-41. [PMID: 31414070 PMCID: PMC6686133 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjem.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Revised: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Bilateral globus pallidus lesions have been characteristically thought to be associated with global cerebral hypoperfusion and hypoxic changes. One of the important causative factors that need to be considered is the opiate drug abuse. Case presentation We present a case of a 50-year-old male who came to the hospital after being found down for 3 hours. He was found to have weakness of right upper and lower extremity. MRI showed bilateral globus pallidus infarcts. He later admitted to inhalation of heroin. Over the next few days, weakness started to improve and he was eventually discharged to rehabilitation. This case is a unique presentation of bilateral globus pallidus lesions after a one-time inhalation of heroin. Conclusion We, therefore, advocate that inhaled heroin should be considered as one of the causes of bilateral globus pallidus lesions, in addition to IV heroin and cocaine and physicians should be aware of the possibility of alternate forms of heroin abuse in such patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iqra Iqbal
- Abington Memorial Hospital, Abington, PA, USA
| | | | - Waqas Ullah
- Abington Memorial Hospital, Abington, PA, USA
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Adisetiyo V, McGill CE, DeVries WH, Jensen JH, Hanlon CA, Helpern JA. Elevated Brain Iron in Cocaine Use Disorder as Indexed by Magnetic Field Correlation Imaging. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2018; 4:579-588. [PMID: 30581153 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Iron homeostasis is a critical biological process that may be disrupted in cocaine use disorder (CUD). In the brain, iron is required for neural processes involved in addiction and can be lethal to cells if unbound, especially in excess. Moreover, recent studies have implicated elevated brain iron in conditions of prolonged psychostimulant exposure. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine iron in basal ganglia reward regions of individuals with CUD using an advanced imaging method called magnetic field correlation (MFC) imaging. METHODS MFC imaging was acquired in 19 non-treatment-seeking individuals with CUD and 19 healthy control individuals (both male and female). Region-of-interest analyses for MFC group differences and within-group correlations with age and years of cocaine use were conducted in the globus pallidus internal segment (GPi), globus pallidus external segment, putamen, caudate nucleus, thalamus, and red nucleus. RESULTS Individuals with CUD had significantly elevated MFC compared with control individuals within the GPi. In control individuals, MFC significantly increased with age in the GPi, globus pallidus external segment, putamen, and caudate nucleus. Conversely, there were no significant MFC within-group correlations in the CUD group. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with CUD have excess iron in the GPi, as indexed by MFC, and lack the age-related gradual iron deposition seen in normal aging. Because the globus pallidus is critical for the transition of goal-directed behavior to compulsive behavior, significantly elevated iron in the GPi may contribute to the persistence of CUD. These findings implicate dysregulation of brain iron homeostasis in CUD and support pursuing this new line of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitria Adisetiyo
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.
| | - Corinne E McGill
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - William H DeVries
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Jens H Jensen
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Colleen A Hanlon
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Joseph A Helpern
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
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5
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Imaging the Unconscious “Found Down” Patient in the Emergency Department. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 2018; 28:435-451. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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6
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Delayed-onset MRI findings in acute chorea related to anoxic brain injury. Clin Imaging 2018; 48:22-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Revised: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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7
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Disrupted iron regulation in the brain and periphery in cocaine addiction. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:e1040. [PMID: 28221362 PMCID: PMC5438021 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2016.271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Revised: 10/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Stimulant drugs acutely increase dopamine neurotransmission in the brain, and chronic use leads to neuroadaptive changes in the mesolimbic dopamine system and morphological changes in basal ganglia structures. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying these changes but preclinical evidence suggests that iron, a coenzyme in dopamine synthesis and storage, may be a candidate mediator. Iron is present in high concentrations in the basal ganglia and stimulant drugs may interfere with iron homeostasis. We hypothesised that morphological brain changes in cocaine addiction relate to abnormal iron regulation in the brain and periphery. We determined iron concentration in the brain, using quantitative susceptibility mapping, and in the periphery, using iron markers in circulating blood, in 44 patients with cocaine addiction and 44 healthy controls. Cocaine-addicted individuals showed excess iron accumulation in the globus pallidus, which strongly correlated with duration of cocaine use, and mild iron deficiency in the periphery, which was associated with low iron levels in the red nucleus. Our findings show that iron dysregulation occurs in cocaine addiction and suggest that it arises consequent to chronic cocaine use. Putamen enlargement in these individuals was unrelated to iron concentrations, suggesting that these are co-occurring morphological changes that may respectively reflect predisposition to, and consequences of cocaine addiction. Understanding the mechanisms by which cocaine affects iron metabolism may reveal novel therapeutic targets, and determine the value of iron levels in the brain and periphery as biomarkers of vulnerability to, as well as progression and response to treatment of cocaine addiction.
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Shrot S, Poretti A, Tucker EW, Soares BP, Huisman TA. Acute brain injury following illicit drug abuse in adolescent and young adult patients: spectrum of neuroimaging findings. Neuroradiol J 2017; 30:144-150. [PMID: 28424016 DOI: 10.1177/1971400917691994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of illicit drugs is currently a major medical problem among adolescents. Several illicit drugs have a high abuse potential and can be neurotoxic causing high morbidity and mortality. The clinical manifestation of adolescents with acute drug-induced neurotoxicity is often characterized by non-specific symptoms and findings. Early diagnosis is important to prevent death and permanent long-term neurological impairments. We report on clinical and neuroimaging findings in five adolescents with acute brain imaging following illicit drug intoxication to highlight the role of neuroimaging findings in the diagnostic work-up of pediatric acute drug-induced neurotoxicity. Our patients reveal two main neuroimaging patterns of brain injury: diffuse symmetric subcortical white matter injury with preferential cerebellar involvement (leukoencephalopathy pattern) or multiple foci of ischemic infarctions in a non-arterial territory distribution (ischemic pattern). Familiarity with these two neuroimaging patterns of findings in the evaluation of magnetic resonance imaging studies in adolescents with acutely altered mental status may suggest the correct diagnosis, narrow the differential diagnosis, and consequently allow early initiation of targeted laboratory investigations and treatment, potentially improving outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shai Shrot
- 1 Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, USA
| | - Andrea Poretti
- 1 Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, USA
| | - Elizabeth W Tucker
- 2 Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA.,3 Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, USA
| | - Bruno P Soares
- 1 Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, USA
| | - Thierry Agm Huisman
- 1 Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, USA
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Bilateral acute necrosis of the globi pallidi and rhabdomyolysis due to combined methadone and benzodiazepine toxicity. Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2013; 34:1-4. [PMID: 23361067 DOI: 10.1097/paf.0b013e31823a8b1e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Methadone continues to be a widely used maintenance therapy for opiate dependence. However, methadone-related deaths have been reported frequently for over 4 decades now. Anoxic brain injury with pulmonary edema secondary to respiratory depression is the recognized mechanism of methadone death, although pathological intracranial findings are rarely described in methadone deaths. A selective area of brain injury has never been reported with methadone use. We present a case of a 23-year-old man who had acute necrosis of the bilateral globi pallidi in the brain and systemic rhabdomyolysis after ingesting methadone and nasally insufflating alprazolam. We also present a review of the literature on deaths following opioid use and associated brain injury.
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10
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Quel examen d’imagerie en première intention devant un coma non traumatique en 2012 ? MEDECINE INTENSIVE REANIMATION 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s13546-012-0517-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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11
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Neuroimaging findings in a case of fluoxetine overdose. J Neuroradiol 2011; 39:254-7. [PMID: 22197403 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurad.2011.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2011] [Revised: 10/12/2011] [Accepted: 10/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Brain MRI and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scans were performed in a patient who had survived a suicide attempt by fluoxetine overdose. The patient presented with the following clinical signs and symptoms, and neuroimaging findings: severe signs of serotonin toxicity, including comatose state, akinetic rigid syndrome and dysautonomia; bilateral globus pallidus changes consistent with extensive pallidal necrosis and subsequent reversible diffuse ischemic changes in white matter, with posterior predominance, involving the splenium of the corpus callosum on brain MRI; and marked hypometabolism in the frontal, parietal and temporal cortical regions as well as in both caudate nuclei on ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT performed 37 days later. These findings suggest that acute severe serotonin toxicity can induce structural and long-standing functional changes in multiple cortical and subcortical brain regions that are associated with cognitive and extrapyramidal syndromes.
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12
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Kim DW, Im HJ, Oh J. Selective injury of the globus pallidus and hippocampus in methamphetamine-induced encephalopathy. Clin Neuroradiol 2011; 23:51-3. [PMID: 22113403 DOI: 10.1007/s00062-011-0115-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2011] [Accepted: 11/04/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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Assessing white matter integrity as a function of abstinence duration in former cocaine-dependent individuals. Drug Alcohol Depend 2011; 114:159-68. [PMID: 21075564 PMCID: PMC3062648 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2010] [Revised: 09/20/2010] [Accepted: 10/04/2010] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Current cocaine-dependent users show reductions in white matter (WM) integrity, especially in cortical regions associated with cognitive control that have been associated with inhibitory dysfunction. A key question is whether these white matter differences are present following abstinence from drug use. To address this, WM integrity was examined using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) obtained on 43 cocaine abstinent patients (abstinence duration ranged between five days and 102 weeks) and 43 non-using controls. Additionally, a cross-sectional comparison separated the patients into three groups (short-term, mid-term and long-term) based upon duration of cocaine abstinence. The 43 cocaine abstinent patients showed lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left anterior callosal fibers, left genu of the corpus callosum, right superior longitudinal fasciculus, right callosal fibers and the superior corona radiata bilaterally when compared against non-using controls. Higher FA in the cocaine abstinent patients was observed in the splenium of the corpus callosum and right superior longitudinal fasciculus. Differences between the cocaine abstinent groups were observed bilaterally in the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, right anterior thalamic radiation, right ventral posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus, left superior corona radiata, superior longitudinal fasciculus bilaterally, right cingulum and the WM of the right precentral gyrus. The results identified WM differences between cocaine abstinent patients and controls as well as distinct differences between abstinent subgroups. The findings suggest that specific white matter differences persist throughout abstinence while other, spatially distinct, differences discriminate as a function of abstinence duration. These differences may, therefore, represent brain changes that mark recovery from addiction.
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de la Riva P, Maneiro M, Martí-Massó JF, López de Munain A. Hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy: lesions on magnetic resonance. Neurologia 2011; 26:371-2. [PMID: 21345537 DOI: 10.1016/j.nrl.2010.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2010] [Revised: 11/03/2010] [Accepted: 12/01/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
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Hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy: lesions on magnetic resonance. NEUROLOGÍA (ENGLISH EDITION) 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/s2173-5808(11)70084-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Virmani A, Ali SF, Binienda ZK. Neuroprotective strategies in drug abuse-evoked encephalopathy. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2010; 1199:52-68. [PMID: 20633109 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05171.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Encephalopathy is evidenced as an altered mental state with various neurological symptoms, such as memory and cognitive problems. The type of a substance-evoked encephalopathy will depend on the drug, substance, or combination being abused. The categories into which we could place the various abused substances could be tentatively divided into stimulants, amphetamines, hallucinogens, narcotics, inhalants, anesthetics, anabolic steroids, and antipsychotics/antidepressants. Other factors that may underlie encephalopathy, such as infectious agents, environmental, and other factors have also to be taken into account. Drugs of abuse can be highly toxic to the CNS following acute, but more so in chronic exposure, and can produce significant damage to other organs, such as the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. The damage to these organs may be at least partially reversible when drug abuse is stopped but CNS damage from repeated or prolonged abuse is often irreversible. The major pathways for the organ and CNS toxicity could be related to ischemic events as well as increased cell damage due to metabolic or mitochondrial dysfunction resulting in increased excitotoxicity, reduced energy production, and lowered antioxidant potential. These susceptibilities could be strengthened by the use of antioxidants to combat free radicals (e.g., vitamin E, lipoic acid); trying to improve energy generation by using mitochondriotropic/metabolic compounds (e.g., thiamine, coenzyme Q10, carnitine, riboflavin); by reducing excitotoxicity (e.g., glutamate antagonists) and other possible strategies, such as robust gene response, need to be investigated further. The drug-abuse-evoked encephalopathy still needs to be studied further to enable better preventative and protective strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashraf Virmani
- Scientific & Medical Affairs, Sigma tau, Pomezia 00040, Roma, Italy.
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