Intro Neuroimaging (creating images of the brain) research seeks to illustrate the structural, functional, and chemical differences that occur within the brain due to substance use disorders through identifying possible addiction biomarkers, measurable indicators of normal or abnormal response to addiction treatment (ex. The rate of dopamine expression/release). Using neuroimaging to study biomarkers is used to improve understanding surrounding why a treatment is effective, how a treatment works, what targets are most optimal, and when (under what situation/circumstance) a treatment is most effective. Purpose There is high demand for improved addiction treatment, as current treatments (to prevent relapse, etc.) are not completely effective. Neuroimaging can be used to inform the creation of medicine that more effectively targets biomarkers of addiction. Neuroimaging can also be used to visualize the neural activity associated with substance abuse behaviors. Now let's look at several domains of addiction treatment research that neuroimaging can be utilized within. 1. Drug Cue Reactivity
Individuals struggling with substance abuse are more reactive to drug-related cues (ex. a bottle of alcohol), which yields cravings and relapse. Neuroimaging can be used to track oxygenated hemoglobin (a protein in red blood cells) as a biomarker to indicate fluctuations in brain activity related to drug cues. This is because hemoglobin experiences structural changes in response to changes in blood flow within the cerebrum and brain metabolism.
From Get Body Smart
Hemoglobin Diagram
Human Brain Anatomy
2. Impulsivity
High impulsivity, which is correlated with damage to dopamine neurons, is connected with worse outcomes of addiction treatment. Neuroimaging can be used to assess the functionality of dopamine neurons in terms of receptor availability and displacement, which can inform treatment approaches (higher dopamine receptor displacement and damage would indicate that more intense treatment is required).
3. Cognitive Control
Within substance use therapies. neuroimaging can be used to identify damaged brain regions contributing to cognitive deficits (ex. memory loss, learning challenges, etc.)
References
Garrison, Kathleen A, and Marc N Potenza. “Neuroimaging and biomarkers in addiction treatment.” Current psychiatry reports vol. 16,12 (2014): 513. doi:10.1007/s11920-014-0513-5