Resumen de Personality disorders and opiate addiction: a descriptive analysis by SPECT in dual pathology patients
César Mateu Hernández, Ana Benito Delegido, Josep Andreu Pena Garijo, José Ferrer Rebolleda, Juan Barea Espón, Gonzalo Haro Cortés
Introduction: Patients with substance abuse show some common personality characteristics but it has not been possible to demonstrate that the presence of these characteristics determines their addiction. In the present investigation we tried to analyze cerebral activity in a group of patients with dependency on opiates and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) or Personality Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDNOS).
Method: Cross-sectional study of an observational type with descriptive and analytical components in a sample of 25 subjects with dual pathology in comparision with 17 healthy subjects. SPECT images were acquired using 99mTC-ECD (Tcm-Ethyl Cysteinate Die-thylester) by intravenous route as a radioactive tracer. Data were analyzed with the software package Entegra.
Results: When we compared subjects with PDNOS to the control group, statistically significant differences in the number of counts registered in the thalamus were noticeable ( =9043.26; p<0.029), which demonstrates less thalamic activity in PDNOS subjects with respect to healthy subjects. Statistically significant differences in the rest of comparisons between groups were not observed.93 Trastornos de personalidad y adicción a opiáceos: un estudio descriptivo Health and Addictions / Salud y Drogas 2010, Vol. 10, nº 2, pp. 91-110 Conclusion: Pacients with PDNOS and adiction show a thalamic hypoactivity pattern. This conclusion could help us in the understanding of the pathogenesis of this disorder and its differentiation from the other PD, like BPD, at least in patients with dual pathology.
