The mesocorticolimbic system in stimulant use disorder.

Stimulant Use Disorder (StUD) is a pervasive and extremely dangerous form of addiction for which there are currently no approved medications. Discovering treatments will require a deep understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the behavioral effects of stimulant drugs. A major target is the mesocorticolimbic system.

Effects of Oral Contraceptive Pills on Brain Networks: A Conceptual Replication and Extension.

Neuroimaging studies have reported that oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) alter brain connectivity, but findings have varied widely and are often derived from observational designs. Here, we used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design to test for conceptual replication of three prior studies and to explore broader network-level effects of OCPs. Replication analyses largely did not confirm previously reported seed-based connectivity changes in edges containing amygdala, putamen, or dorsal anterior cingulate nodes (ps > 0.

Dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability and working memory in stimulant use disorder.

Dopaminergic neurochemical markers are associated with working memory performance in healthy participants and patients with schizophrenia. Individuals with stimulant use disorder have below-control levels of dopaminergic markers, such as striatal D2-type receptor (D2/3 R) availability (i.e.

Comparing neuromodulation targets to reduce cigarette craving and withdrawal: a randomized clinical trial.

Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death, emphasizing the need for new therapeutics, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We tested the hypothesis that TMS to three targets would reduce cigarette craving and withdrawal by modulating connectivity within and between three canonical networks in a randomized clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03827265).

Convergent Validity of Experimental Cognitive Tests in a Large Community Sample.

Experimental cognitive tests are designed to measure particular cognitive domains, although evidence supporting test validity is often limited. The Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics test battery administered 23 experimental and traditional neuropsychological tests to a large sample of community volunteers ( = 1,059) and patients with psychiatric diagnoses ( = 137), providing a unique opportunity to examine convergent validity with factor analysis. Traditional tests included subtests from the Wechsler and Delis-Kaplan batteries, while experimental tests included the Attention Networks Test, Balloon Analogue Risk Task, Delay Discounting Task, Remember-Know, Reversal Learning Task, Scene Recognition, Spatial and Verbal Capacity and Manipulation Tasks, Stop-Signal Task, and Task Switching.

Effects of oral contraceptive pills on brain networks: A replication and extension.

Neuroimaging research has identified significant effects of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) on brain networks. A wide variety of approaches have been employed, largely in observational samples, with few converging results. This study therefore was designed to test for replication and extend this previous work using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial of the effects of OCPs on brain networks.

Mindfulness and clinical correlates in methamphetamine use disorder.

Background: Mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly used for the treatment of substance use disorders, including methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). Literature indicates that trait mindfulness may play a key role in the effectiveness of these treatments on therapeutic outcome, yet no prior studies have tested for differences in trait mindfulness between individuals with MUD and healthy control participants. Such differences are important for treatment implementation.

Value-based decision-making predicts alcohol use and related problems in young men.

Background: Alcohol consumption is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, disproportionately affecting young men. Heavy episodic drinking is particularly prevalent among men, with this behavior peaking between the ages of 20 and 24.

Aims: We sought to identify dimensions of decision-making in men that would predict the development of hazardous alcohol use through emerging adulthood.

Smoking, tobacco dependence, and neurometabolites in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex.

Cigarette smoking has a major impact on global health and morbidity, and positron emission tomographic research has provided evidence for reduced inflammation in the human brain associated with cigarette smoking. Given the consequences of inflammatory dysfunction for health, the question of whether cigarette smoking affects neuroinflammation warrants further investigation. The goal of this project therefore was to validate and extend evidence of hypoinflammation related to smoking, and to examine the potential contribution of inflammation to clinical features of smoking.

Negative affect and craving during abstinence from smoking are both linked to default mode network connectivity.

Background: Negative affect and craving during abstinence from cigarettes predict resumption of smoking. Therefore, understanding their neural substrates may guide development of new interventions. Negative affect and craving have traditionally been linked to functions of the brain's threat and reward networks, respectively.

Decomposing risky decision-making in methamphetamine use disorder: Behavioral updating and D2 dopamine receptors.

Background: Escalating misuse of amphetamine-type stimulants, mainly methamphetamine, has led to a staggering rise in associated overdose deaths and a pressing need to understand the basis of methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). MUD is characterized by disadvantageous decision-making, and people with MUD perform below controls on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), a laboratory test of decision-making under uncertainty. The BART presents a series of choices with progressively higher stakes-greater risk of loss and greater potential monetary reward.

Nicotine dependence and insula subregions: functional connectivity and cue-induced activation.

Nicotine dependence is a major predictor of relapse in people with Tobacco Use Disorder (TUD). Accordingly, therapies that reduce nicotine dependence may promote sustained abstinence from smoking. The insular cortex has been identified as a promising target in brain-based therapies for TUD, and has three major sub-regions (ventral anterior, dorsal anterior, and posterior) that serve distinct functional networks.

Reduced neural functional connectivity during working memory performance in methamphetamine use disorder.

Background: Methamphetamine misuse, a surging cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, identifies Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD) as a critical public health problem. Treatment for MUD typically is sought during early abstinence when patients are experiencing cognitive difficulties that may hamper their engagement in treatment and recovery. Cognitive difficulties, particularly those that involve executive functions, likely reflect disruptions in neural functioning involving multiple brain areas and circuits.

Denial and Diagnosis of Methamphetamine Dependence Severity.

Introduction: Denial, or lack of awareness of problems related to substance misuse, is a common feature of drug use disorders and can affect engagement in treatment and recovery. This study tested for association of denial with severity of symptoms used in the diagnosis of Methamphetamine Dependence.

Methods: This secondary analysis used data from 69 participants (52.

The Effects of Citalopram and Thalamic Dopamine D Receptor Availability on Decision-Making and Loss Aversion in Alcohol Dependence.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly prescribed for patients who misuse alcohol, especially in the context of comorbid depressive symptoms. Deficits in impulse control and decision-making are linked to routine alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of a single dose of citalopram on measures of impulsivity, decision-making, and/or brain dopamine receptor availability in alcohol-dependent individuals.

Cortical thickness and related depressive symptoms in early abstinence from chronic methamphetamine use.

Methamphetamine use is surging globally as a cause of morbidity and mortality. Treatment is typically sought in early abstinence, when craving and depressive symptoms are intense, contributing to relapse and poor outcomes. To advance an understanding of this problem and identify therapeutic targets, we conducted a retrospective analysis of brain structure in 89 adults with Methamphetamine Use Disorder who were in early abstinence and 89 healthy controls.

Effects of ibudilast on central and peripheral markers of inflammation in alcohol use disorder: A randomized clinical trial.

Ibudilast, a neuroimmune modulator, shows promise as a pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorder (AUD). In vivo administration of ibudilast reduces the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in animal models, but its effects on markers of inflammation in humans are unknown. This preliminary study examined the effect of ibudilast on peripheral and potential central markers of inflammation in individuals with AUD.

Targeting maladaptive reactivity to negative affect in emerging adults with cannabis use disorder: A preliminary test and proof of concept.

Introduction: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is a growing public health concern, and is highly comorbid with negative affective conditions such as anxiety and depression. Late adolescence and early adulthood represents a time of rapid emotion regulation development, as well as the onset of anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders, especially CUD. Maladaptive cognitive, behavioral, and emotional responding to one's own negative affect (in an effort to eliminate it) is associated with substance use, and represents a novel treatment target to improve outcomes of treatment for substance misuse.

Executive Function and Contingency Management in Methamphetamine Use Disorder.

Objectives: Contingency management is a promising intervention for Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD).Impaired executive function may decrease adherence to such treatment, but there are few data on whether impairment in executive function predicts treatment outcomes. We therefore evaluated whether baseline performance on tests of executive function predicted treatment response in a trial of contingency management for MUD.