Linking fMRI to Mobile Technologies in Addiction Research: Pathophysiology of Executive Deficits, Craving and Substance Use

Overview

120 individuals with alcohol, cannabis or nicotine dependence as well as healthy controls will be administered a whole-brain imaging exam. The current research project constitutes a highly novel approach to understanding the pathophysiology of addiction through its combination of neuroimaging with state-of-the-art information concerning the real-time expression of risk factors.

* Background : Despite the availability of both pharmacological and psychosocial treatments, most affected individuals will experience addiction as a chronic illness with severe consequences for health outcome. A fundamental challenge to researchers in this domain is therefore to understand the mechanisms leading to relapse. Among the key vulnerability factors associated with addiction chronicity, increasing attention has focused on deficits in executive functions and associated traits (impulsivity, risk taking) that are likely to explain why many individuals with addiction are unable to avoid high-risk contexts or to manage the experience of craving. Research concerning this vulnerability to relapse has been hindered by the manner in which cognitive deficits are traditionally assessed in clinical research. Most commonly, they are thought to represent stable risk factors that show little or no variation within a given individual. However, executive functioning may fluctuate rapidly over time (as does attention, memory, or other key cognitive functions), and therefore comparisons of overall or 'mean' cognitive deficits between healthy and substance-dependent individuals may show no significant differences despite powerful effects of this vulnerability. Therefore, the absence of measurement or characterization of this important relapse mechanism prevents any further research concerning its underlying pathophysiology. * Purpose : Deficits in executive functioning may explain why many individuals with addiction are unable to avoid high-risk contexts or manage the experience of craving that lead to substance use. The principal objective of this project is to acquire resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data on patients with current addiction who will then complete (through a distinct protocol) mobile assessments of daily life executive fluctuations, craving, and substance use. * Detailed description: 120 individuals with alcohol, cannabis or nicotine dependence as well as healthy controls will be administered a whole-brain imaging exam. The current research project constitutes a highly novel approach to understanding the pathophysiology of addiction through its combination of neuroimaging with state-of-the-art information collected through an independent investigation concerning the real-time expression of risk factors.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (2)

Outcomes