Prefrontal-habenular microstructural impairments in human cocaine and heroin addiction.

ABSTRACT: The habenula (Hb) is central to adaptive reward- and aversion-driven behaviors, comprising a hub for higher-order processing networks involving the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Despite an established role in preclinical models of cocaine addiction, the translational significance of the Hb and its connectivity with the PFC in humans is unclear. Using diffusion tractography, we detailed PFC structural connectivity with the Hb and two control regions, quantifying tract-specific microstructural features in healthy and cocaine-addicted individuals. White matter was uniquely impaired in PFC-Hb projections in both short-term abstainers and current cocaine users. Abnormalities in this tract further generalized to an independent sample of heroin-addicted individuals and were associated, in an explorato

SUBMITTER: King SG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9671835 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature