Neuroimaging data suggests that resilience to drug addiction may be conferred by increased control over compulsive behaviors, according to a study. Drug addiction is a growing worldwide problem with substantial public health implications. However, why some individuals avoid addiction despite risk factors, such as drug use or family history of addiction, remains unclear. Karen Ersche and colleagues used functional MRI to examine brain activity in 162 individuals, including addicted stimulant users and their nonaddicted siblings. Additional participants had no family history of addiction and were either nonaddicted regular stimulant users or control participants who did not use drugs. Compared with addicted individuals, participants who did not develop addiction despite familial risk or regular drug use showed a stronger connection between activity in the brain's frontal cortex and striatum in two distinct brain networks. The first network consists of the lateral prefrontal cortex and medial caudate nucleus, and the second network consists of the supplementary motor area, superior medial frontal cortex, and putamen. These brain circuits are involved in goal-directed, inhibitory control of behavior and the regulation of habits. According to the authors, the findings could lead to the development of improved strategies to prevent or treat drug addiction, especially in at-risk populations.
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Article #20-02509: "Brain networks underlying vulnerability and resilience to drug addiction," by Karen Ersche et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Karen Ersche, University of Cambridge, UNITED KINGDOM; e-mail: ke220@cam.ac.uk
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences