Changes in regional cerebral blood flow elicited by craving memories in abstinent opiate-dependent subjects.
OBJECTIVE
The brain circuitry of opiate craving was investigated with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF).


METHODS
Twelve abstinent opiate-dependent subjects listened to audiotaped autobiographical scripts of an episode of craving and a neutral episode while undergoing a PET scan with the tracer [(15)O]H(2)O. Statistical parametric mapping was used to analyze the PET images of rCBF changes.


RESULTS
Comparison of the drug-related and neutral stimulus conditions revealed activation of rCBF in the left medial prefrontal and left anterior cingulate cortices and deactivation in the occipital cortex in response to the drug-related stimulus. A further statistical parametric mapping analysis with a subjective rating of craving as a covariate showed a positive association of between craving and rCBF in the left orbitofrontal cortex.


CONCLUSIONS
The patterns of cerebral activation reflect the different brain regions mediating the salience of opiate-related stimuli and the subjective experience of craving for opiates.
Daglish
M R
MR
Psychopharmacology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Weinstein
A
A
Malizia
A L
AL
Wilson
S
S
Melichar
J K
JK
Britten
S
S
Brewer
C
C
Lingford-Hughes
A
A
Myles
J S
JS
Grasby
P
P
Nutt
D J
DJ
D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008032:Limbic System / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010104:Oxygen Radioisotopes; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013637:Tape Recording; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014867:Water
D010104:Oxygen Radioisotopes; D014867:Water