title: Neuroimaging the Effectiveness of Substance Use Disorder Treatments.
abstract: Neuroimaging techniques to measure the function and biochemistry of the human brain such as positron emission tomography (PET), proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), are powerful tools for assessing neurobiological mechanisms underlying the response to treatments in substance use disorders. Here, we review the neuroimaging literature on pharmacological and behavioral treatment in substance use disorder. We focus on neural effects of medications that reduce craving (e.g., naltrexone, bupropion hydrochloride, baclofen, methadone, varenicline) and that improve cognitive control (e.g., modafinil, N-acetylcysteine), of behavioral treatments for substance use disorders (e.g., cognitive bias modification training, virtual reality, motivational interventions) and neuromodulatory interventions such as neurofeedback and transcranial magnetic stimulation. A consistent finding for the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions identifies the improvement of executive control networks and the dampening of limbic activation, highlighting their values as targets for therapeutic interventions in substance use disorders.
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. elizabeth.cabrera@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Corinde E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Wiers
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lindgren
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Gregg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.|National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Nora D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Volkow
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Gene-Jack
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D066249:Craving / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008691:Methadone / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058765:Neurofeedback / Q000187:drug effects / Q000379:methods / Q000502:physiology; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D009271:Naltrexone; D008691:Methadone
keywords: Addiction; MRI; Neuroimaging; PET; Substance use disorder; Treatment