Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cocaine Craving
Abstract
Objective Identification of brain activity associated with craving is important for understanding the neurobiology of addiction. Method Brain activity was measured in cocaine addicts and healthy subjects by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while the subjects watched videotapes designed to elicit happy feelings, sad feelings, or the desire to use cocaine. The subjects indicated the onset of drug craving or emotional response, allowing comparison of groups before and after such feelings. Results Robust activation of the anterior cingulate was evident in patients watching cocaine-cue tapes but not in patients watching happy or sad tapes or in healthy subjects under any condition. Anterior cingulate activation preceded the reported onset of craving and was evident in patients who did not report craving. In contrast, patients showed less activation than healthy subjects during the cocaine-cue tapes in areas of the frontal lobes. After the reported onset of craving, cocaine-dependent subjects showed greater activity than healthy subjects in regions that are more active in healthy subjects when they watch sad tapes than when they watch happy tapes, suggesting a physiologic link between cocaine-cue responses and normal dysphoric states. Dynamic aspects of regional brain activations, but not the location of activations, were abnormal in cocaine-dependent subjects watching sad tapes, suggesting more general affective dysregulation. Patients showed low activation of sensory…
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In cocaine-addicted subjects, cocaine-associated cues produce relatively increased ACC activation despite decreased overall frontal lobe activation.
“Wexler and colleagues [144] presented cocaine-addicted subjects with videotapes containing cocaine-associated cues, and reported relatively increased anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activation during the presentation of the cocaine cues, despite decreased overall frontal lobe activation.”
From Reward circuitry dysfunction in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders and genetic syndromes: animal models and clinical findings (2012) · cites this paper as [144]
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- Authors
- Wexler, B. E., Gottschalk, C. H., Fulbright, R. K., Prohovnik, I., Lacadie, C. M., Rounsaville, B. J., & Gore, J. C.
- Affiliations
- Yale University (US)
- Venue
- American Journal of Psychiatry
- Published
- 2001-01-01
- Volume
- 158
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 86-95
- ISSN
- 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
- 1535-7228
- OpenAlex
- W2106104064
- Cited by
- 420
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 49 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 25
- FWCI
- 7.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (K02MH001296, MH01296)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA09241., P50DA009241)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- cocaine craving, cocaine dependence, drug cue reactivity, anterior cingulate cortex, frontal lobe activation, emotional dysregulation, dysphoria, emotional responses, neurobiology of addiction, brain activation
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affect, Brain, Cues, Emotions, Female, Frontal Lobe, Gyrus Cinguli, Happiness, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Videotape Recording, Visual Perception, Behavior, Addictive, Cocaine-Related Disorders
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