The study analyzed data from 144 previous research papers. In these, substance use disorders, that is, physical and psychological dependence on alcohol, nicotine, medication and illicit drugs, were examined using neuroimaging. Neuroimaging allows us to visualize processes in the nervous system.
Because different regions of the brain were linked to addiction in these studies, it was difficult to identify an area that could be targeted for possible treatment, said lead author Jacob Stubbs of the University of British Columbia in a press release. However, when evaluating the data, the research team found abnormalities that could be attributed to a common neural network in the brain.
The type of substance makes no difference
Because addiction was associated with a wide variety of brain regions in the previous research examined, they did not initially expect to find a common neural network, according to the study authors. Ultimately, however, we were able to identify a specific circuit.
“The different regions of the brain that play a role in addiction are part of this common brain network,” said co-author Michael Fox, from the Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, USA. In addiction, it is not a specific region of the brain that plays a role, but rather a neural network that people with substance use disorders have in common.
The team also examined the link with different substances and found that the network is always the same – whether someone is addicted to alcohol, nicotine, medication, cocaine or heroin.
Magnetic field therapy
This means that “we now have a neural network that we can target with treatments,” Fox said. Treatments such as neurostimulation, a form of therapy in which nerves can be stimulated by electrical impulses, but can also be inhibited. The study authors particularly mention transcranial magnetic stimulation: a non-invasive procedure in which magnetic fields act on areas of the brain.
The results of the study, now published in the journal “Nature Mental Health”, brought the treatment of patients with addictions closer through this form of therapy, which is already used, for example, for migraines and epilepsy. .