Cue-induced activation of the striatum and medial prefrontal cortex is associated with subsequent relapse in abstinent alcoholics.
BACKGROUND
Animal experiments have provided evidence that the striatum and medial prefrontal cortex play a predominant role in the acquisition and maintenance of drug-seeking behavior.


OBJECTIVE
Alcohol-associated stimuli that were regularly paired with alcohol intake may become conditioned cues and elicit a motivational response that triggers relapse in alcohol-dependent patients.


METHODS
We used functional magnetic resonance imaging and visual alcohol-associated and control cues to assess brain activation in ten abstinent alcoholics and control subjects. Patients were followed for 3 months, and alcohol intake was recorded.


RESULTS
Alcohol-related versus neutral visual stimuli activated the putamen, anterior cingulate and adjacent medial prefrontal cortex in alcoholics compared with healthy controls. Cue-induced activation of these brain areas was pronounced in the five alcoholics who subsequently relapsed during the observation period. A multiple regression analysis showed that, in alcoholics, the amount of subsequent alcohol intake was associated with the intensity of cue-induced brain activation but not the severity of alcohol craving, amount of previous alcohol intake or duration of abstinence before scanning.


CONCLUSIONS
This pilot study showed that cue-induced activation of the anterior cingulate, medial prefrontal cortex and striatum may play a role in the attribution of incentive salience to alcohol-associated stimuli, thus increasing the motivational value and attentional processing of alcohol cues. Functional brain imaging may help to identify a group of alcoholics with an otherwise undetected high risk of relapse.
Grüsser
Sabine M
SM
Department of Medical Psychology, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité--University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Wrase
Jana
J
Klein
Sabine
S
Hermann
Derik
D
Smolka
Michael N
MN
Ruf
Matthias
M
Weber-Fahr
Wolfgang
W
Flor
Herta
H
Mann
Karl
K
Braus
Dieter F
DF
Heinz
Andreas
A
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011859:Radiography; D012008:Recurrence; D013695:Temperance