AUTHOR=Kuo Li-Wei , Lin Pei-Sheng , Lin Shih-Yen , Liu Ming-Fang , Jan Hengtai , Lee Hsin-Chien , Wang Sheng-Chang 

TITLE=Functional Correlates of Resting-State Connectivity in the Default Mode Network of Heroin Users on Methadone Treatment and Medication-Free Therapeutic Community Program

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00381

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00381

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<p>The treatment of heroin addiction is a complex process involving changes in addictive behavior and brain functioning. The goal of this study was to explore the brain default mode network (DMN) functional connectivity using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and decision-making performance based on the Cambridge gambling task in heroin-dependent individuals undergoing methadone treatment (MT, <italic>n</italic> = 11) and medication-free faith-based therapeutic community program (TC, <italic>n</italic> = 11). The DMN involved the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), left inferior parietal lobe (IPL<sub>L</sub>), right inferior parietal lobe (IPL<sub>R</sub>), and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) subregions for all participants in both the MT and TC groups. Compared with MT, TC had an increased functional connectivity in IPL<sub>L</sub>–IPL<sub>R</sub> and IPL<sub>R</sub>–PCC and decreased functional connectivity in mPFC–IPL<sub>L</sub> and IPL<sub>L</sub>–PCC. Both groups exhibited no significant difference in the regional rs-fMRI metric [i.e., amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF)]. In the analysis of the neural correlates for decision-making performance, risk adjustment was positively associated with ALFF in IPL<sub>L</sub> for all participants considering the group effects. The involvement of IPL in decision-making performance and treatment response among heroin-dependent patients warrants further investigation.</p>