The Addiction Neurocircuitry and Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Cannabis Use Disorder: An fMRI Study.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Addiction Research
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Cannabis use disorder (CUD) affects millions worldwide, presenting challenges in cessation.
• The neurobiological underpinnings of CUD, particularly altered brain connectivity, remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in the addiction neurocircuitry of individuals with CUD.
• To explore associations between rsFC, cannabis exposure, and related problems to identify drivers of neurobiological alterations.

Main Methods:

• Examined rsFC in 65 individuals with moderate-to-severe CUD and 42 controls.
• Focused on regions of interest (ROIs) within addiction neurocircuitry and their connections to other brain areas.

Main Results:

• Individuals with CUD exhibited greater rsFC between reward/habitual use regions (nucleus accumbens, putamen, pallidum) and occipito/parietal salience areas.
• Putamen-occipital rsFC correlated with problematic cannabis use severity and depression symptoms.

Conclusions:

• CUD is associated with neuroadaptations in the brain's addiction circuitry, similar to other substance use disorders.
• Altered functional connectivity may contribute to the persistence of cannabis use and difficulties in quitting.