Behavioral and Accumbal Responses During an Affective Go/No-Go Task Predict Adherence to Injectable Naltrexone...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Addiction Medicine

Background:

• Adherence to extended-release naltrexone is critical for relapse prevention in opioid use disorder (OUD).
• Predictive biomarkers for treatment adherence are needed to optimize OUD management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the predictive value of a Go/No-go task variant for extended-release naltrexone adherence in OUD patients.
• To investigate the relationship between behavioral performance (errors) and neural responses during the task and subsequent treatment adherence.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess brain activity during a Go/No-go task in 27 detoxified OUD patients.
• Participants performed the task before initiating up to 3 monthly injections of extended-release naltrexone.
• Adherence was defined as completing all 3 injections; errors of commission and neural responses were independent variables.

Main Results:

• Reduced errors of commission during the Go/No-go task were associated with higher adherence.
• Increased left accumbens activity during No-go versus Go trials predicted better adherence.
• Behavioral and neurophysiological measures from the task showed potential in predicting treatment completion.

Conclusions:

• The Go/No-go task, assessing response inhibition, can predict adherence to extended-release naltrexone in OUD treatment.
• Behavioral and neurophysiological markers of response inhibition may serve as valuable clinical tools for predicting treatment outcomes in OUD.
• This study highlights the potential of neurocognitive assessments in personalized addiction medicine.