Projects

Preclinical studies support the critical role of learning and memory processes for the development and maintenance of addictive disorders. Particularly based on the importance of classical and instrumental conditioning in this context, cue-exposure-based extinction training (CET) of conditioned, drug-related responses has been introduced in the treatment of addiction. During the last funding period we gathered data suggestive for an effect of CET on mesolimbic cue-reactivity in abstinent alcohol dependent subjects. However, neuronal pathways involved, especially the role of functional and structural frontostriatal connectivity, remain to be explored. Therefore, we are now aiming to test to what extent extinction of fMRI cue-reactivity in chronic alcohol dependent patients following cue-exposure based training is modulated by frontal-striatal connectivity and reward sensitivity. This will be investigated by studying (a) structural connectivity (DTI) (b) trait like functional connectivity (resting state fMRI) and (c) effective functional connectivity during alcohol cue presentation (event related fMRI). Additionally, in a reward paradigm we will study the general responsivity of reward pathways and their frontal control in alcohol dependent patients prior to extinction training and compare it to healthy controls to identify alterations in reward sensitvity. We expect that these functional and structural measures contributes to a better understanding of neuronal pathways involved in reward extinction, and the definition of factors that predict efficacy of CET in alcohol-dependent subjects.