Hot Off the Press – November 5, 2021
We recently introduced a rat model of incubation (time-dependent increase) of oxycodone craving after voluntary abstinence induced by negative consequences of drug seeking. We used resting-state functional MRI to determine whether longitudinal functional connectivity changes in orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) circuits would predict incubation of oxycodone seeking after cessation of drug self-administration by introducing an electric barrier near the oxycodone-paired lever. We report that opposing functional connectivity changes in OFC with dorsal striatum and related circuits during oxycodone self-administration versus voluntary abstinence predicted incubation of opioid seeking. OFC functional connectivity changes did not predict food seeking, which abated after voluntary abstinence. We propose that functional connectivity changes in OFC-related circuits at different addiction phases can be used to predict opioid relapse vulnerability.
Publication Information
Orbitofrontal cortex and dorsal striatum functional connectivity predicts incubation of opioid craving after voluntary abstinence Journal Article
In: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol. 118, no. 43, 2021, ISSN: 1091-6490.