CONTACT US: Contact info
|
Citation |
Gowin JL, Stewart JL, May AC, Ball TM, Wittmann M, Tapert SF, Paulus MP. Addiction 2014; 109(2): 237-247. |
|
Affiliation |
Psychiatry, UCSD, La Jolla, CA. |
|
Copyright |
(Copyright © 2014, John Wiley and Sons) |
|
DOI |
|
PMID |
24033715 |
|
Abstract |
AIMS: To determine if methamphetamine-dependent (MD) individuals exhibit behavioral or neural processing differences in risk-taking relative to healthy comparison participants (CTL). DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study comparing two groups' behavior on a risk-taking task and neural processing as assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). SETTINGS: The study was conducted in an inpatient treatment center and a research fMRI facility in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-eight recently abstinent MD individuals recruited from a treatment program and forty CTL recruited from the community completed the study. MEASUREMENTS: The study assessed risk-taking behavior (overall and post-loss) using the Risky Gains Task (RGT), sensation-seeking, impulsivity and blood-oxygenation level dependent activation in the brain during the decision phase of the RGT. FINDINGS: Relative to CTL, MD displayed decreased activation in the bilateral rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and greater activation in the left insula across risky and safe decisions (p<.05). Right mid insula activation among CTL did not vary between risky and safe decisions, but among MD it was higher during risky relative to safe decisions (p<.05). Among MD, lower activation in the right rostral ACC (r=-.39, p<.01) and higher activation in the right mid insula (r=.35, p<.01) during risky decisions were linked to a higher likelihood of choosing a risky option following a loss. CONCLUSIONS: Methamphetamine-dependent individuals show disrupted risk-related processing in both anterior cingulate and insula, brain areas that have been implicated in cognitive control and interoceptive processing. Attenuated neural processing of risky options may lead to risk-taking despite experiencing negative consequences. Language: en |