Deciphering functional brain circuitry during morphine withdrawal with dynamic manganese-enhanced MRI

Publication date: Available online 26 November 2019Source: Neuroscience LettersAuthor(s): Wenheng FangAbstractWithdrawal plays a key role in the development of addiction, and several brain regions, such as the extended amygdala, are functional during this stage. Manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) is a promising method for directly studying neural activity during morphine withdrawal, versus functional MRI, which is based on hemodynamic alterations. The functional brain circuitry associated with morphine withdrawal has not been thoroughly investigated, and there are very few longitudinal studies utilizing MEMRI to explore brain activity during this stage. In our experiments, we revealed essential brain regions involved in morphine withdrawal by application of a novel dynamic MEMRI approach, and demonstrated dynamic alterations of functional brain activities in these associated brain regions. Our results demonstrate that the dynamic MEMRI approach is an effective method that may be applied to reveal dynamic alterations in functional brain activity during morphine withdrawal.
Source: Neuroscience Letters - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research