Alexander D. Cohen1, Chunming Xie2,
Wenjun Li1, Theodore Tianrun Zhang1, Zheng Yang3,
Shi Jiang Li1
1Biophysics, Medical College of
Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States; 2Biophysics, Medical
College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee , WI, United States; 3Beijing
Institute of Basic Medical Science, Beijing, China
This
abstract compares resting state functional connectivity (FC) in heroin
addicts to matched-control subjects using the nucleus accumbens (NAc) as a seed
in an attempt to better understand the underlying processes of
addiction. Correlation values were
obtained for each subject on a voxelwise basis in 13 addiction associated
regions, and then compared via t-test between groups. Increased positive correlation was seen in
the left insula, left precuneus, left posterior cingulate cortex, and
bilateral caudate body in heroin subjects vs. controls. These results suggest increased NAc
caudate connectivity may underlie the shift from goal directed to habitual
behavior in drug addiction.