Neuroimaging of Substance Abuse

Substance use disorder is one of the most critical current public health crises in the United States and is the cause of morbidity and mortality of many Americans. Neuroimaging plays an important role in diagnosing and assessing prognosis of patients who have this disorder. Drugs of abuse target the brain reward system, which plays a central role in addiction. Substance use may cause reversible or irreversible neurologic injuries, disability, and death through various mechanisms. This article reviews the neurotoxic effects and neuroimaging manifestations of various commonly used drugs to aid physicians in diagnosis, management, and prediction of outcome of patients with this disorder.

Learning Objective: To become familiar with the mechanism of action, pathophysiology, neuropathology, and neuroimaging features of commonly used drugs.