Imaging the Addicted Human Brain

Abstract

Modern imaging techniques enable researchers to observe drug actions and consequences as they occur and persist in the brains of abusing and addicted individuals. This article presents the five most commonly used techniques, explains how each produces images, and describes how researchers interpret them. The authors give examples of key findings illustrating how each technique has extended and deepened our knowledge of the neurobiological bases of drug abuse and addiction, and they address potential clinical and therapeutic applications.

Internet Gaming Disorder

“…Functional MRI Functional MRI (fMRI) is one of the most important imaging tools for investigating the mechanisms of addiction, including response to a substance, vulnerability to addiction, characteristics or symptoms of addictive behavior, and consequences of addiction [42]. For imaging studies, fMRI is preferable to positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission CT because it does not require radiation exposure.…”

Addictive Illegal Drugs: Structural Neuroimaging

“…[1][2][3] Functional imaging studies, such as MR spectroscopy, functional MR imaging, single-photon emission tomography, or PET may detect changes in the regional cerebral blood flow, cerebral activity, and neuropharmacologic parameters, such as receptor number and neurotransmitter levels. 4,5 These methods are, therefore, of importance in detecting the functional or metabolic impairment following illegal drug abuse.…”

An intriguing association between dental and mental pathology in addicted and control subjects: a cross-sectional survey

“…Similarly, an unexpected fi nding that hypertrophy of basal ganglia nuclei occurs in stimulant users [84][85][86][87] might be explained by altered patterns of neuronogenesis and gliogenesis in response to brain injury or chemical insult [88][89][90][91][92] and is consistent with the increased magnetic resonance spectroscopy signals for 'activated glial' cells and reduced neuronal metabolism which has been obtained from these structures. 54,67 Neural stem cells normally differentiate into both glia and neurons, and in animals the latter migrate anteriorly in the rostral migratory stream to the olfactory bulb.…”