Resting State Functional Connectivity of the Default Mode Network During Opioid Use and Cessation in Treatment‐Seeking Persons
Jade Dandurand, Michael D. Stein, B. Surprenant, Somin Kim, H. Sarles-Whittlesey, K. Grimone, Debra S. Herman, Ana M. Abrantes, L. Sweet
European Journal of Neuroscience 2025 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16656 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study (longitudinal resting-state fMRI) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 11 |
| Population | Treatment-seeking adults meeting DSM-5 criteria for opioid use disorder who initiated buprenorphine treatment |
| Intervention | Buprenorphine |
| Duration | Two fMRI scans approximately 3 days apart |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Resting-state functional connectivity in the default mode network and the right inferior frontal gyrus of the salience network was greater when participants were abstaining from opioids than when actively using them. These connectivity changes predicted 76.2% of the variance in withdrawal symptom severity, with default mode network nodes accounting for an additional 30.9%. The authors propose that default mode network connectivity may have utility as a prognostic marker of cessation or relapse. |
Abstract
Resting‐state functional connectivity analyses have been used to examine synchrony in neural networks in substance use disorders (SUDs), with the default mode network (DMN) one of the most studied. Prior research has generally found less DMN synchrony during use and greater synchrony during cessation, although little research has utilized this method with opioid use. This study examined resting brain activity in treatment‐seeking persons who use opioids at two points—when using opioids and when opioid‐free—to determine whether the DMN exhibits different levels of connectivity during opioid use and cessation and whether differences in connectivity predict subsequent relapse. The sample included 11 participants who met DSM‐5 criteria for opioid use disorder and initiated buprenorphine treatment following fMRI scans that were approximately 3 days apart. Results showed greater functional connectivity in the DMN and the rIFG of the salience network (SN) when participants were abstaining than when actively using opioids. These changes in connectivity predicted 76.2% of the variance in withdrawal symptom severity, with the DMN nodes accounting for an additional 30.9%. Findings warrant further longitudinal exploration of the role of DMN connectivity and its interactions with other networks in relation to abstinence and withdrawal status and examination of its utility as a prognostic marker of cessation or relapse.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis | |
| Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2009 | Experimental study using fMRI | |
| Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers | 2012 | Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Functional connectivity in the resting brain: A network analysis of the default mode hypothesis Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences December 27, 2002