Title:Reconfigurations of Dynamic Functional Network Connectivity in
Large-scale Brain Network after Prolonged Abstinence in Heroin Users
Volume: 22
Issue: 6
Author(s): Shan Zhang, Wenhan Yang, Minpeng Li, Xinwen Wen, Ziqiang Shao, Jun Li, Jixin Liu, Jun Zhang, Dahua Yu, Jun Liu*Kai Yuan*
Affiliation:
- Department of Radiology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China
- Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710126, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of
Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710071, China.
- Information Processing Laboratory, School of Information Engineering, Inner
Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, Inner Mongolia, 014010,
China.
- International
Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory
of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of Trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian
University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710126, China
Keywords:
Heroin, dFNC, prolonged abstinence, brain network reconfiguration, substance use disorders, neurobiology.
Abstract:
Background: Brain recovery phenomenon after long-term abstinence had been reported in
substance use disorders. Yet, few longitudinal studies have been conducted to observe the abnormal
dynamic functional connectivity (dFNC) of large-scale brain networks and recovery after prolonged
abstinence in heroin users.
Objective: The current study will explore the brain network dynamic connection reconfigurations after
prolonged abstinence in heroin users (HUs).
Methods: The 10-month longitudinal design was carried out for 40 HUs. The 40 healthy controls
(HCs) were also enrolled. Group independent component analysis (GICA) and dFNC analysis were
employed to detect the different dFNC patterns of addiction-related ICNs between HUs and HCs. The
temporal properties and the graph-theoretical properties were calculated. Whether the abnormalities
would be reconfigured in HUs after prolonged abstinence was then investigated.
Results: Based on eight functional networks extracted from GICA, four states were identified by the
dFNC analysis. Lower mean dwell time and fraction rate in state4 were found for HUs, which were
increased toward HCs after prolonged abstinence. In this state, HUs at baseline showed higher dFNC
of RECN-aSN, aSN- aSN and dDMN-pSN, which decreased after protracted abstinence. A similar recovery
phenomenon was found for the global efficiency and path length in abstinence HUs. Mean
while, the abnormal dFNC strength was correlated with craving both at baseline and after abstinence.
Conclusion: Our longitudinal study observed the large-scale brain network reconfiguration from the
dynamic perspective in HUs after prolonged abstinence and improved the understanding of the neurobiology
of prolonged abstinence in HUs.