Behavioral And Neural Mechanism Of Response Inhibition Task Under Drugs Related Cues In Abstinent Heroin Users

Object:This study aims to explore the behavioral responses and neural basis of heroin abstainers under cue related response inhibition task.Additionally,we explored the recovery of brain structures and functions which are related to the cue-related response inhibition task in heroin abstainers.Method:Seventeen abstinent heroin addicts who are treated with methadone maintenance and seventeen healthy controls were recruited using advertisements in the community.The heroin abstinent group（HAG）and the healthy control group（HCG）were compared on multiple measures of brain function related to response inhibition using the imaging methods of Go/No-go task,psychophysiological interactions（PPI）analysis and resting-state functional connectivity（rs FC）.Based on the Go/No-go task,right putamen（33,24,15）,left insula（-30,15,-12）,right insula（39,15,-6）,right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus（SFG）（30,54,12）,right supplementary motor area（SMA）（3,18,51）was selected as the region of interest in which to study PPI and rs FC.Results:（1）There are no statistically significant differences in Go conditional response time and accuracy,No-go conditional accuracy,commission errors and omission errors.（2）Heroin addicts showed significant activation in bilateral insula,left putamen,right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus,and right globus pallidus in the cue related Go/No-go task-state f MRI(p _FWE<0.05).（3）Under response inhibition specific conditions,bilateral insula,right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus,right middle frontal gyrus,and right auxiliary motor area were significantly activated.（4）During response inhibition task,higher functional connectivity between left putamen and left middle frontal gyrus（MFG）and bilateral medial SFG,higher functional connectivity between left insula and left orbital MFG and left precentral gyrus,higher functional connectivity between right insula and right caudate,as well as right SMA and right orbital MFG and right caudate and right parahippocampal gyrus was found in the HAG.In the HCG,the functional connections between the right dorsolateral SFG and the left parahippocampal gyrus,the left anterior cingulate gyrus and the paracingulate gyrus were enhanced.（5）Under the resting state,compared with healthy controls,lower functional connectivity between right putamen and sensory-motor area（SMA）,as well as left insula and SM,but the functional connectivity between right SMA and left precentral gyrus was increased in the HAG(p _FWE<0.05).Conclusion:Bilateral insula,right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus,right middle frontal gyrus and right auxiliary motor area maybe play an important role in cue related response inhibition in heroin addicts,which are specifically related to the abnormal brain circuits such as frontal-striatal circuits,insula-orbital frontal lobe,insula-sensorimotor brain area.This suggests that after long-term abstinence,the response inhibition ability under drug related cues of heroin users might be restored,and the drug related cue reactivity could be weakened.