Impulsivity, Neural Deficits and Cocaine Addiction

This study is designed to explore putative differences in impulsive behaviors and decision making in cocaine-addicted and healthy control subjects using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), single photon emission tomography (SPECT), and neurocognitive tasks. We predict that cocaine-addicted subjects will demonstrate neurocognitive and neural alterations in measures of impulsivity and decision-making when compared to healthy controls. That is, cocaine-addicted subjects will show both decreased activation and decreased resting measures of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) of the brain structures associated with impulsivity and decision-making. Furthermore, neurocognitive and neural deficits associated with impulsivity and decision-making will be associated with each other and with measures indicative of an impulsive relapse and altered decision making.