Neuroscience 2002 Abstract
| Presentation Number: | 900.1 |
|---|---|
| Abstract Title: | Perfusion MRI during cue-induced opiate craving. |
| Authors: |
Langleben, D. D.*1
; Wang, J.2,3
; Detre, J.2,3
; Fornash, A. M.1
; Gray , J.1
; O'Brien, C. P.1
; Childress, A. R.1
1Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 2Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 3Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA |
| Primary Theme and Topics |
Neurological and Psychiatric Conditions - Addiction and Drugs of Abuse -- Opioids and others |
| Secondary Theme and Topics | Cognition and Behavior<br />- Motivation and Emotion |
| Session: |
900. Addiction and drugs of abuse: opioids and others V Poster |
| Presentation Time: | Thursday, November 7, 2002 8:00 AM-9:00 AM |
| Location: | Hall A2-B3 Z-72 |
| Keywords: | heroin, conditioning, craving, ventral tegmental area |
The urge to use drugs (craving) is an important factor in relapse to drug abuse. In heroin dependent patients, treatment with an opiate agonist(methadone maintenance, MM) is effective in preventing opiate withdrawal symptoms, however some MM patients continue experiencing drug craving. Data indicate that such craving may be a response to conditioned drug-related stimuli. Arterial Spin Labeled (ASL) functional MRI (fMRI) is a perfusion-weighted technique which has practical advantages over both PET and BOLD fMRI for the study of the regional cerebal blood flow (rCBF) changes during sustained cognitive states, such as cue-induced drug craving. In an ongoing study (target N = 20), MM patients (9)and controls (7) viewed non-drug and heroin-related videos (10 min each) while undergoing multi-slice ASL fMRI. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM99) was used to compare rCBF during heroin cues with baseline and correlate refional with subjective and physiological measurements of desire to use opiates. Preliminary analysis showed increased activation in the ventral tegmentum, the right thalamus, the posterior cingulate and the left insula in the MM patients (N = 9) but not the controls (N = 7). The activation in the VTA but not other regions was positively correlated (r2 = 0.72, p=0.05) with self-reported craving. These preliminary findings suggest that the mesolimbic reward pathway is involved in the mediation of cue-induced heroin craving and show the feasibility of ASL fMRI for the imaging of cue-induced drug craving. These data could direct studies of the brain-level effects of existing and emerging pharmacological treatments for opiate dependence.
Supported by NIDA RO1 10241
Sample Citation:
[Authors]. [Abstract Title]. Program No. XXX.XX. 2002 Neuroscience Meeting Planner. Orlando, FL: Society for Neuroscience, 2002. Online.
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