Frontal White Matter Changes and Craving Recovery in Inpatients With Heroin Use Disorder
Key Points
Question Does white matter microstructure change during medication-assisted treatment in individuals with heroin use disorder (HUD)?
Findings In this cohort study of 34 inpatient individuals with HUD and 25 healthy controls, changes in white matter microstructure were associated with treatment in the individuals with HUD cohort, characterized by increased anisotropy and decreased diffusivity in fronto-striatal white matter pathways, which correlated with decreases in baseline drug craving.
Meaning These results suggest that frontal white matter changes and associated drug craving decreases are associated with brain-behavior recovery with inpatient treatment in individuals with HUD, potentially contributing to reduced drug use and sustained abstinence.
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