ISSN: 2155-6105

Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy
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  • Research Article   
  • J Addict Res Ther,

Preliminary Findings of Weaker Executive Control Network Resting State fMRI Functional Connectivity in Opioid Use Disorder compared to Healthy Controls

Kyle Woisard1,2*, Joel L Steinberg1,2,3, Liangsuo Ma1,4, Edward Zuniga1,2, Tatiana Ramey5, Michael Lennon4, Lori Keyser-Marcus1,3 and F Gerard Moeller1,2,3,6,7
1Department of Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, U.S.A
2Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States
3Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States
4Department of Radiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States
5Department of Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, United States
6Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States
7Department of Neurology, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States
*Corresponding Author : Kyle Woisard, Department of Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States, Tel: +1 703-380-0886, Email: woisardk@vcu.edu

Abstract

Objective: Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) functional connectivity has been used as a tool to study brain mechanisms associated with addictions. Recent research in substance use disorders has focused on three brain networks termed the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and executive control network (ECN). The purpose of this study was to examine the functional connectivity of those three networks in opioid use disorder (OUD) subjects compared to healthy control subjects (HC). Methods: The present study investigated functional connectivity differences between OUD subjects compared to HC using independent component analysis. This study also examined the relationship between functional connectivity and negative urgency scores, as well as compared the functional connectivity of severe OUD to mild or moderate OUD. Results: In OUD subjects (n=25) compared to HC (n=25), a cluster in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex within the left ECN had significantly weaker functional connectivity. No significant differences were found between groups for the functional connectivity of the DMN, SN, or right ECN. No significant associations were found between functional connectivity and negative urgency, and no differences were found between severe OUD and mild or moderate OUD. Conclusion: These novel preliminary results suggest that ECN functional connectivity may differ between OUD and HC. This finding is consistent with previous research showing altered executive function in OUD and supports further examination of ECN functional connectivity in association with treatment response in OUD. Given our relatively small sample size (50 subjects total; 25 subjects per group), our results should be treated as preliminary for hypothesis generation, and replication will be needed in future studies.

Keywords: Opioid use disorder; Functional connectivity; Independent component analysis; Executive control network; Resting state networks; Negative urgency; Functional magnetic resonance imaging

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