Kelly E Courtney1, Dara G Ghahremani2, Edythe D London3, Lara A Ray4. 1. Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States. 2. Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, United States. 3. Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, United States; Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States. 4. Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, United States. Electronic address: lararay@psych.ucla.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Given numerous reports implicating involvement of the precuneus in cue-reactivity paradigms, the goal of this investigation was to examine the relationship between activation of the precuneus in response to drug cues and measures of subjective craving and severity of dependence in volunteers who were comorbid for alcohol and nicotine abuse. METHODS: Forty research participants, who all reported heavy drinking and daily smoking, were recruited (15 women; 70% Caucasian; mean age=31.2 years) for a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session involving a cigarette video-cues task and an alcohol taste-cues task. Mean precuneus activation from both tasks during cue presentation was subjected to bivariate correlation analyses with indices of dependence severity and subjective craving. RESULTS: Precuneus activation in the contrast of Cigarette Cues vs. Control Cues was positively correlated with scores on the Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence (r=0.389, p=0.016), and activation in the Alcohol Cues vs. Control Cues contrast was positively correlated with Alcohol Dependence Scale scores (r=0.338, p=0.038). No correlations with subjective craving were observed (ps>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that the precuneus is involved in cue reactivity for both cigarettes and alcohol, and that this involvement is moderated by severity of drug dependence. The precuneus may be a cortical locus for neuroplastic changes related to drug dependence.
BACKGROUND: Given numerous reports implicating involvement of the precuneus in cue-reactivity paradigms, the goal of this investigation was to examine the relationship between activation of the precuneus in response to drug cues and measures of subjective craving and severity of dependence in volunteers who were comorbid for alcohol and nicotine abuse. METHODS: Forty research participants, who all reported heavy drinking and daily smoking, were recruited (15 women; 70% Caucasian; mean age=31.2 years) for a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session involving a cigarette video-cues task and an alcohol taste-cues task. Mean precuneus activation from both tasks during cue presentation was subjected to bivariate correlation analyses with indices of dependence severity and subjective craving. RESULTS: Precuneus activation in the contrast of Cigarette Cues vs. Control Cues was positively correlated with scores on the Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence (r=0.389, p=0.016), and activation in the Alcohol Cues vs. Control Cues contrast was positively correlated with Alcohol Dependence Scale scores (r=0.338, p=0.038). No correlations with subjective craving were observed (ps>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that the precuneus is involved in cue reactivity for both cigarettes and alcohol, and that this involvement is moderated by severity of drug dependence. The precuneus may be a cortical locus for neuroplastic changes related to drug dependence.
Authors: Eric D Claus; Sara K Blaine; Francesca M Filbey; Andrew R Mayer; Kent E Hutchison Journal: Neuropsychopharmacology Date: 2013-05-24 Impact factor: 7.853
Authors: Eric D Claus; Sarah W Feldstein Ewing; Francesca M Filbey; Amithrupa Sabbineni; Kent E Hutchison Journal: Neuropsychopharmacology Date: 2011-06-15 Impact factor: 7.853
Authors: Francesca M Filbey; Lara Ray; Andrew Smolen; Eric D Claus; Amy Audette; Kent E Hutchison Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2008-07 Impact factor: 3.455
Authors: Sarah W Yip; Elise E DeVito; Hedy Kober; Patrick D Worhunsky; Kathleen M Carroll; Marc N Potenza Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2016-07-16 Impact factor: 4.492
Authors: Joseph P Schacht; Patrick K Randall; Patricia K Latham; Konstantin E Voronin; Sarah W Book; Hugh Myrick; Raymond F Anton Journal: Neuropsychopharmacology Date: 2017-04-14 Impact factor: 7.853
Authors: Tam T Nguyen-Louie; Kelly E Courtney; Lindsay M Squeglia; Kara Bagot; Sonja Eberson; Robyn Migliorini; Alexis R Alcaraz; Susan F Tapert; Carmen Pulido Journal: Brain Imaging Behav Date: 2018-08 Impact factor: 3.978
Authors: Erica N Grodin; Lara A Ray; James MacKillop; Aaron C Lim; Mitchell P Karno Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2019-01-20 Impact factor: 3.455
Authors: Yasmin Zakiniaeiz; Sarah W Yip; Iris M Balodis; Cheryl M Lacadie; Dustin Scheinost; R Todd Constable; Linda C Mayes; Rajita Sinha; Marc N Potenza Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2017-08-19 Impact factor: 4.492