ArticleAlcoholism, clinical and experimental research2019
Naltrexone Acutely Enhances Connectivity Between the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex and a Left Frontoparietal Network.
Article in Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neural cue reactivity and intrinsic functional connectivity in individuals with alcohol use disorder following treatment with topiramate or naltrexone.Psychopharmacology · 2025Trial
- Trial
- A Preliminary, Open-Label Study of Naltrexone and Bupropion Combination Therapy for Treating Binge Drinking in Human Subjects.Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire) · 2020Trial
- Greater alcohol intake predicts accelerated brain aging in humans, which mediates the relationship between alcohol intake and behavioral inflexibility.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2025Article
- Antagonists of the stress and opioid systems restore the functional connectivity of the prefrontal cortex during alcohol withdrawal through divergent mechanisms.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- The Utilization of Low Dose Naltrexone for Chronic Pain.CNS drugs · 2023Article
- Abnormal functional connectivity of the nucleus accumbens subregions mediates the association between anhedonia and major depressive disorder.BMC psychiatry · 2023Article
- The life and times of endogenous opioid peptides: Updated understanding of synthesis, spatiotemporal dynamics, and the clinical impact in alcohol use disorder.Neuropharmacology · 2023Review
- Acute depletion of dopamine precursors in the human brain: effects on functional connectivity and alcohol attentional bias.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2021Article
- Lateralized Contributions of Medial Prefrontal Cortex Network to Episodic Memory Deficits in Subjects With Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2021Article
- Executive function moderates naltrexone effects on methamphetamine-induced craving and subjective responses.The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse · 2020Article
- Leveraging Neural Networks in Preclinical Alcohol Research.Brain sciences · 2020Review
- Better Together? Coupling Pharmacotherapies and Cognitive Interventions With Non-invasive Brain Stimulation for the Treatment of Addictive Disorders.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNaltrexone, an opioid receptor antagonist that is Food and Drug Administration approved for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD), reduces alcohol craving and intake. Despite known pharmacological properties, little is known regarding the effects of naltrexone on neural circuit function. Thus, a data-driven examination of the neural effects of naltrexone in human subjects may offer novel insight into its treatment mechanisms.
methodsTwenty-one alcohol using males (22 to 39) participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of the effects of naltrexone on brain voxel-wise functional connectivity (FC) using intersubject FC correlation mapping. We first cross-correlated the time series from each gray matter voxel to produce a 6,356 × 6,356 FC matrix for each subject and session. We then subtracted the placebo FC matrix from the naltrexone FC matrix. To identify brain regions demonstrating significant reconfiguration of whole-brain FC patterns following naltrexone treatment, we statistically quantified the consistency of patterns of voxel FC changes across subjects. Permutation testing identified significant clusters of voxels undergoing significant reconfiguration. Using the identified clusters in a seed-based FC analysis, we then compared the FC patterns of affected brain areas on placebo versus naltrexone in a paired t-test. Ridge regression analyses identified self-report measures, including substance use, that significantly predicted individual differences in FC among naltrexone-modulated regions.
resultsTwo clusters in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC)/ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) demonstrated significant modulation of FC by naltrexone. Using these 2 proximal clusters as a single seed, specific FC changes were identified in regions associated with a left frontoparietal network (increasing), as well as visual and motor regions (decreasing). Stronger FC between the rACC/vmPFC and this set of regions on placebo was associated with more external locus of control, whereas weaker connectivity was associated with greater substance use problems. Naltrexone strengthened these connections most among individuals who reported greater drinking to cope.
conclusionsEnhancing connectivity between the rACC/vmPFC, implicated in alcohol craving, and components of a left frontoparietal network involved in executive control may represent an effective strategy for the treatment of AUD.
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