Alterations in connectivity of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis during early abstinence in individuals with alcohol use disorder.

ABSTRACT:

Background

For individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), long-term recovery is difficult in part due to symptoms of anxiety that occur during early abstinence and can trigger relapse. Research in rodent models of AUD has identified the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a small, sexually dimorphic, subcortical region, as critical for regulating anxiety-like behaviors during abstinence, particularly in female mice. Furthermore, prolonged alcohol use and subsequent abstinence alter BNST afferent and efferent connections to other brain regions. To our knowledge, however, no studies of early abstinence have investigated BNST structural connectivity in humans during abstinence; this study addresses that gap.

Methods

Nineteen participants with AUD currently in early ab

SUBMITTER: Flook EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8131245 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature