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Abstract #0435

Negative Correlation Between Medial Frontal Activity During Inhibitory Control and Impulsiveness in Abstinent Heroin Dependents: An FMRI Study

Li-ping FU1,2, Zhi-tong ZOU3, Shi-jiang LI4, Guo-hua BI1, Yan WANG3, En-mao YE1, Lin MA3, Zheng Yang1

1Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Science, Beijing, China; 2Radiology, Peking University Shougang Hospital , Beijing, China; 3Radiology, General Hospital of People's Liberation Army of China; 4Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA


Impulsiveness is a hallmark of addiction. In this study, we combined the neurobiological method (fMRI) and laboratory performance (BIS-11) to explore the rapid-response impulsivity in abstinent heroin dependents. A significant negative correlation between the non-planning score of BIS-11 and the activation of bilateral cingulated cortex (CC) and medial frontal gyrus (mFG) was detected, which indicates that the CC and mFG may be the most sensitive brain areas to the neurotoxicity of heroin and the lack of self-control and intolerance of cognitive complexity reflected by the high BIS-scores contributes, at least partly, to the persistent neural dysfunction.

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