Neuroimaging for drug addiction and related behaviors

Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 2011 · Reviews In The Neurosciences

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1515/RNS.2011.055· OSTI ID:1044011

A, Parvaz M; Parvaz, M A; Alia-Klein, N; Woicik, P A; Volkow, N D; Goldstein, R Z

In this review, we highlight the role of neuroimaging techniques in studying the emotional and cognitive-behavioral components of the addiction syndrome by focusing on the neural substrates subserving them. The phenomenology of drug addiction can be characterized by a recurrent pattern of subjective experiences that includes drug intoxication, craving, bingeing, and withdrawal with the cycle culminating in a persistent preoccupation with obtaining, consuming, and recovering from the drug. In the past two decades, imaging studies of drug addiction have demonstrated deficits in brain circuits related to reward and impulsivity. The current review focuses on studies employing positron emission tomography (PET), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate these behaviors in drug-addicted human populations. We begin with a brief account of drug addiction followed by a technical account of each of these imaging modalities. We then discuss how these techniques have uniquely contributed to a deeper understanding of addictive behaviors.

• Research Organization: BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY (BNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE SC OFFICE OF SCIENCE (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-98CH10886
• OSTI ID: 1044011
• Report Number(s): BNL--97152-2012-JA; kp1602010
• Journal Information: Reviews In The Neurosciences, Journal Name: Reviews In The Neurosciences Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 22; ISSN 0334-1763
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
BRAIN
DOPAMINE
ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY
FOCUSING
FUNCTIONALS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
MAGNETIC RESONANCE
POSITRONS
SUBSTRATES
TOMOGRAPHY
dopamine
electroencephalography (EEG)
event-related potentials (ERPs)
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
positron emission tomography (PET)
prefrontal cortex