Objective: To examine white matter integrity in heroin-dependent patients and matched normal controls with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
Methods: The fractional anisotropy was compared between 15 heroin-dependent patients and 15 controls.
Results: We found the fractional anisotropy was significantly decreased in specific brain regions of the heroin-dependent patients (P<0.001 uncorrected), including the frontal gyrus, the parietal lobule, the insula, and the corpus callosum.
Conclusion: The presence of microstructural abnormality is found in the white matter of several brain regions of heroin-dependent patients.