Neural network involving medial orbitofrontal cortex and dorsal periaqueductal gray regulation in human alcohol abuse

Abstract

Prompted by recent evidence of neural circuitry in rodent models, functional magnetic resonance imaging and functional connectivity analyses were conducted for a large adolescent population at two ages, together with alcohol abuse measures, to characterize a neural network that may underlie the onset of alcoholism. A network centered on the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC), as well as including the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG), central nucleus of the amygdala, and nucleus accumbens, was identified, consistent with the rodent models, with evidence of both inhibitory and excitatory coregulation by the mOFC over the dPAG. Furthermore, significant relationships were detected between raised baseline excitatory coregulation in this network and impulsivity measures, supporting a role for negative urgency in alcohol dependence.

The Periaqueductal Gray and Its Extended Participation in Drug Addiction Phenomena

“…Hence, different neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and gasotransmitters modulate the PAG during alcohol withdrawal, while alcohol exposure may induce functional, molecular, and genetic changes in the PAG, suggesting that this structure is a key modulator of alcohol intake behaviors. This idea has been recently confirmed using fMRI [88].…”

“…Notably, with the advent of better imaging tools, this kind of structure will be better understood. In support of this notion, a very recent functional MRI (fMRI) study has proposed a cortex-PAG connection that appears to be essential in alcohol abuse [88].…”

“…A recent fMRI study has suggested that the PAG is negatively involved in the physical and social pleasure expectancy in alcohol drinkers exposed to alcohol cues, whereas the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) is positively involved [177]. More recently, another fMRI study proposed that the connection between the mOFC and D-PAG is predominantly involved in alcohol abuse [88].…”

Psychiatric disorders in China: strengths and challenges of contemporary research and clinical services

“…Another two reviews summarized neuroimaging abnormalities in patients with anxiety disorders (Chen & Shi, 2011 ) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (Fan & Xiao, 2013 ). Neuroimaging studies also implicated the underlying neural circuitry of reinforcement-related processing in relation to alcohol abuse (Jia et al, 2020 , 2021 ), and implicated the therapeutic effect of bumetanide in reducing symptoms of children with autism spectrum disorder (Dai et al, 2021 ). Taken together, many neuroimaging studies from China investigated patients with specific clinical characteristics, aiming to disentangle complex neuropathology of psychiatric disorders and to provide potential target brain areas for treatment.…”

Anterior Cingulate Metabolite Levels, Memory, and Inhibitory Control in Abstinent Men and Women with Alcohol Use Disorder

“…AUD is characterized by an impaired ability to control drinking despite adverse personal, societal, or occupational consequences and has been shown to have long-lasting harmful physiological and neuropsychological effects, including associations with brain abnormalities. Cognitive abilities such as general intelligence and over-learned knowledge are preserved with AUD (Stavro et al, 2013), while impairments in other functions continue despite abstinence (Jia et al, 2021, Oscar-Berman et al, 2014. Among the most common and persistent cognitive domains of impairment are memory and inhibitory control (Mullins-Sweatt et al, 2019, Stephan et al, 2017.…”