Effects of long-term cocaine self-administration on brain resting-state functional connectivity in nonhuman primates

Abstract

Long-term cocaine use is associated with a variety of neural and behavioral deficits that impact daily function. This study was conducted to examine the effects of chronic cocaine self-administration on resting-state functional connectivity of the dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) and putamen—two brain regions involved in cognitive function and motoric behavior—identified in a whole brain analysis. Six adult male squirrel monkeys self-administered cocaine (0.32 mg/kg/inj) over 140 sessions. Six additional monkeys that had not received any drug treatment for ~1.5 years served as drug-free controls. Resting-state fMRI imaging sessions at 9.4 Tesla were conducted under isoflurane anesthesia. Functional connectivity maps were derived using seed regions placed in the left dACC or putamen. Results show that cocaine maintained robust self-administration with an average total intake of 367 mg/kg (range: 299–424 mg/kg). In the cocaine group, functional connectivity between the dACC seed and regions primarily involved in motoric behavior was weaker, whereas connectivity between the dACC seed and areas implicated in reward and cognitive processing was stronger. In the putamen seed, weaker widespread connectivity was found between the putamen and other motor regions as well as with prefrontal areas that regulate higher-order executive function; stronger connectivity was found with reward-related regions. dACC connectivity was associated with total cocaine intake. These data indicate that functional connectivity between regions involved in motor, reward, and cognitive processing differed between subjects with recent histories of cocaine self-administration and controls; in dACC, connectivity appears to be related to cumulative cocaine dosage during chronic exposure.

Addiction of drugs like Cocaine and Opium - A Review

“…It reduced the blood flow to the stomach and intestines, due to which it directly effects on digestive system. It also increases the risk of ischemic colitis due to which intestine becomes injured and inflamed [30] .…”

Resting-State Networks of Awake Adolescent and Adult Squirrel Monkeys Using Ultra-High Field (9.4 T) Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

“…For example, presentation of a noxious thermal stimulus to squirrel monkey during ultra-high field imaging resulted in fMRI responses in numerous regions (e.g., thalamus, caudate, posterior insula) that are related to nociception in humans ( Wu et al, 2017 ). Also, repeated exposure to cocaine has been shown to alter putamen and dACC connectivity ( Kohut et al, 2020 ), a finding that recapitulates phenomena observed clinically in humans with substance use disorders ( Hu et al, 2015 ). These results suggest the existence of consistent functional networks in squirrel monkeys and humans.…”

Resting state networks of awake adolescent and adult squirrel monkeys using ultra-high field (9.4T) functional magnetic resonance imaging

“…For example, presentation of a noxious thermal stimulus to squirrel monkey during ultra-high field imaging resulted in fMRI responses in numerous regions (e.g., thalamus, caudate, posterior insula) that are related to nociception in humans (Wu et al, 2017). Also, repeated exposure to cocaine has been shown to alter putamen and dACC connectivity (Kohut et al, 2020), a finding that recapitulates phenomena observed clinically in humans with substance use disorders (Hu et al, 2015). These results suggest the existence of orthogonal functional networks in squirrel monkeys and humans.…”