Abstract：
Compared with healthy controls, heroin users (HUs) show evidence of structural and functional brain alterations. However, little is known about the possibility of brain recovery after protracted heroin abstinence. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether brain recovery is possible after protracted abstinence in HUs. A total of 108 subjects with heroin addiction completed structural and functional scans, and 61 of those subjects completed 8-month follow-up scans. Resting-state data and 3D-T1 MR images were collected for all participants, first at baseline and again after 8 months. Cognitive function and craving were measured by the Trail Making Test-A (TMT-A) and Visual Analog Scale for Craving, respectively. The cortical thickness and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) differences were then analyzed and compared between baseline and follow-up, and correlations were obtained between neuroimaging and behavioral changes. HUs demonstrated improved cognition (shorter TMT-A time) and reduced craving at the follow-up (HU2) relative to baseline (HU1), and the cortical thickness in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus (SFG) was significantly greater at HU2 than at HU1. Additionally, the RSFC of the left SFG with the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), insula, and nucleus accumbens and that of the right SFG with the IFG, insula and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) were increased at HU2. The changes in TMT-A time were negatively correlated with the RSFC changes between the left SFG and the bilateral IFG, the bilateral caudate, and the right insula. The changes in craving were negatively correlated with the RSFC changes between the left OFC and the bilateral SFG. Our results demonstrated that impaired frontal-limbic neurocircuitry can be partially restored, which might enable improved cognition as well as reduced craving in substance-abusing individuals. We provided novel scientific evidence for the partial recovery of brain circuits implicated in cognition and craving after protracted abstinence.
摘要：
与健康对照相比，海洛因使用者（HU）显示出大脑结构和功能改变的证据。然而,人们对长期戒除海洛因后大脑恢复的可能性知之甚少。这项研究的目的是调查HU长期禁欲后是否可能恢复大脑。共有108名海洛因成瘾受试者完成了结构和功能扫描，其中61名受试者完成了8个月的随访扫描。收集所有参与者的静息状态数据和3D-T1MR图像，第一次在基线和8个月后再次。通过TrailMakingTest-A（TMT-A）和渴望视觉模拟量表来测量认知功能和渴望，分别。然后分析并比较基线和随访之间的皮质厚度和静息状态功能连接（RSFC）差异，并获得神经影像学和行为变化之间的相关性。与基线（HU1）相比，HU在随访（HU2）时表现出改善的认知（TMT-A时间更短）和减少的渴望，HU2的双侧额上回（SFG）的皮质厚度明显大于HU1。此外,左额下回（IFG）的RSFC，脑岛,伏隔核和带有IFG的右SFG的核，HU2时，脑岛和眶额皮质（OFC）增加。TMT-A时间的变化与左侧SFG和双侧IFG之间的RSFC变化呈负相关。双侧尾状,和右边的脑岛。渴望的变化与左侧OFC和双侧SFG之间的RSFC变化呈负相关。我们的结果表明，受损的额叶-边缘神经回路可以部分恢复，这可能有助于改善物质滥用个体的认知和减少渴望。我们为长期禁欲后与认知和渴望有关的大脑回路的部分恢复提供了新的科学证据。
