Ebrahimi, C;
Garbusow, M;
Sebold, M;
Chen, K;
Smolka, MN;
Huys, QJM;
Zimmermann, US;
... Heinz, A; + view all
(2023)
Elevated Amygdala Responses During De Novo Pavlovian Conditioning in Alcohol Use Disorder Are Associated With Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer and Relapse Latency.
Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science
10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.02.003.
(In press).
Preview |
Text
1-s2.0-S2667174323000113-main.pdf - Published Version Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Contemporary learning theories of drug addiction ascribe a key role to Pavlovian learning mechanisms in the development, maintenance, and relapse of addiction. In fact, cue-reactivity research has demonstrated the power of alcohol-associated cues to activate the brain’s reward system, which has been linked to craving and subsequent relapse. However, whether de novo Pavlovian conditioning is altered in alcohol use disorder (AUD) has rarely been investigated. METHODS: To characterize de novo Pavlovian conditioning in AUD, 62 detoxified patients with AUD and 63 matched healthy control participants completed a Pavlovian learning task as part of a Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer paradigm during a functional magnetic resonance imaging session. Patients were followed up for 12 months to assess drinking behavior and relapse status. RESULTS: While patients and healthy controls did not differ in their ability to explicitly acquire the contingencies between conditioned and unconditioned stimuli, patients with AUD displayed significantly stronger amygdala responses toward Pavlovian cues, an effect primarily driven by stronger blood oxygen level–dependent differentiation during learning from reward compared with punishment. Moreover, in patients compared with controls, differential amygdala responses during conditioning were positively related to the ability of Pavlovian stimuli to influence ongoing instrumental choice behavior measured during a subsequent Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer test. Finally, patients who relapsed within the 12-month follow-up period showed an inverse association between amygdala activity during conditioning and relapse latency. CONCLUSIONS: We provide evidence of altered neural correlates of de novo Pavlovian conditioning in patients with AUD, especially for appetitive stimuli. Thus, heightened processing of Pavlovian cues might constitute a behaviorally relevant mechanism in alcohol addiction.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Elevated Amygdala Responses During De Novo Pavlovian Conditioning in Alcohol Use Disorder Are Associated With Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer and Relapse Latency |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.02.003 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.02.003 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2023 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier Inc on behalf of the Society of Biological Psychiatry. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | Alcohol use disorder, Amygdala, Neuroimaging, Pavlovian conditioning, Pavlovian-instrumental transfer, Relapse |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry > Mental Health Neuroscience |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10168966 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
