TY - JOUR
T1 - Neuroimaging reward, craving, learning, and cognitive control in substance use disorders
T2 - Review and implications for treatment
AU - Tanabe, Jody
AU - Regner, Michael
AU - Sakai, Joseph
AU - Martinez, Diana
AU - Gowin, Joshua
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Authors.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Substance use disorder is a leading causes of preventable disease and mortality. Drugs of abuse cause molecular and cellular changes in specific brain regions and these neuroplastic changes are thought to play a role in the transition to uncontrolled drug use. Neuroimaging has identified neural substrates associated with problematic substance use and may offer clues to reduce its burden on the patient and society. Here, we provide a narrative review of neuroimaging studies that have examined the structures and circuits associated with reward, cues and craving, learning, and cognitive control in substance use disorders. Most studies use advanced MRI or positron emission tomography (PET). Many studies have focused on the dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area, and the regions where these neurons terminate, such as the striatum and prefrontal cortex. Decreases in dopamine receptors and transmission have been found in chronic users of drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. Recent studies also show evidence of differences in structure and function in substance users relative to controls in brain regions involved in salience evaluation, such as the insula and anterior cingulate cortex. Balancing between reward-related bottom-up and cognitive-control-related top-down processes is discussed in the context of neuromodulation as a potential treatment. Finally, some of the challenges for understanding substance use disorder using neuroimaging methods are discussed.
AB - Substance use disorder is a leading causes of preventable disease and mortality. Drugs of abuse cause molecular and cellular changes in specific brain regions and these neuroplastic changes are thought to play a role in the transition to uncontrolled drug use. Neuroimaging has identified neural substrates associated with problematic substance use and may offer clues to reduce its burden on the patient and society. Here, we provide a narrative review of neuroimaging studies that have examined the structures and circuits associated with reward, cues and craving, learning, and cognitive control in substance use disorders. Most studies use advanced MRI or positron emission tomography (PET). Many studies have focused on the dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area, and the regions where these neurons terminate, such as the striatum and prefrontal cortex. Decreases in dopamine receptors and transmission have been found in chronic users of drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. Recent studies also show evidence of differences in structure and function in substance users relative to controls in brain regions involved in salience evaluation, such as the insula and anterior cingulate cortex. Balancing between reward-related bottom-up and cognitive-control-related top-down processes is discussed in the context of neuromodulation as a potential treatment. Finally, some of the challenges for understanding substance use disorder using neuroimaging methods are discussed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85071278136&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85071278136&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1259/bjr.20180942
DO - 10.1259/bjr.20180942
M3 - Review article
C2 - 30855982
AN - SCOPUS:85071278136
SN - 0007-1285
VL - 92
JO - British Journal of Radiology
JF - British Journal of Radiology
IS - 1101
M1 - 20180942
ER -