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The Neurobiological Mechanisms Underlying Individual Differences in Addiction

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A special issue of Journal of Personalized Medicine (ISSN 2075-4426). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanisms of Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2021) | Viewed by 9077

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Seungwoo Kang

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Guest Editor

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
Interests: brain; neuron; electrophysiology; neurophysiology; neurobiology; neuropharmacology; chemogenetics; optogenetics; calcium imaging; in vivo electrophysiology

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Although substance and behavioral addictions are dynamic, chronic diseases, resulting in severe health, economic, and social problems, only a subset of these patients are particularly responsive to the behavioral and pharmacological therapeutics currently available. This is mainly due to the large heterogeneity in the individual profiles of addictive disorders and the huge gap in our knowledge of the neurobiological mechanisms for the variability. Even in the face of these challenges, a recent multi-layered combination of classical assays with advanced techniques including brain imaging, omics, electrophysiology, and deep learning for computational biology is dramatically broadening the possibility of asking and answering sophisticated questions about these neurobiological mechanisms. In this Special Issue of the Journal of Personalized Medicine, we aim to assemble biological insights from a broad range of disciplines that provide a better understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the individual variability that leads to various outcomes in addictive disorders, potentially helping accelerate the advancements in precision medicine and/or precision health for addiction. We welcome the submission of experimental and theoretical original research, reviews, and meta-analyses investigating the neurobiological mechanism of addictive disorders, ranging in scope from preclinical animal models to human studies via behavioral, electrophysiological, imaging, genetic, genomic, and computational approaches.

Dr. Seungwoo Kang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Personalized Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

addiction
substance addiction
behavioral addiction
individual variability
animal addiction models
neurobiology
computational biology
precision medicine
precision health

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 559 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Internet Usage Habits and Experienced Levels of Psychopathology: A Pilot Study on Association with Spontaneous Eye Blinking Rate

by Dovile Simkute, Igor Nagula, Povilas Tarailis, Julius Burkauskas and Inga Griskova-Bulanova

J. Pers. Med. 2021, 11(4), 288; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm11040288 - 9 Apr 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2151

Abstract

Increasing availability of the internet has resulted in the increased prevalence of problematic online behaviors. Reliable and affordable neurobiological and psychological biomarkers that distinguish problematic internet use (PIU) from functional online activities are of utmost importance. Previous studies have shown a relationship between spontaneous eye blinking rate (sEBR) and changes in dopamine regulation in neurological and psychiatric disorders, including substance use disorders. In this study, we utilized sEBR to examine the potential link between individual differences in dopaminergic neurotransmission and PIU. In sum, 62 subjects participated in this study (median age 25, IQR 6 years, 34 females). The Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ-9), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Clark–Beck Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory (CBOCI) and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) were used for psychological assessment. The sEBRs were assessed with an electrooculogram recorded from above and below the left eye and from the right and left outer canthi. The group with PIU (PIUQ-9 > 20) expressed higher levels of impulsivity and compulsive behavior symptoms than the control group. In the group with PIU, impulsivity levels were inversely related to sEBR, and a trend of negative association of sEBR with compulsive behavior was observed. Future research should enroll subjects with high levels of PIU and strongly expressed psychopathology levels to further address the utility of sEBR as a potential biomarker. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Neurobiological Mechanisms Underlying Individual Differences in Addiction)

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7 pages, 235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Risk Assessment for Heroin Use and Craving Score Using Polygenic Risk Score

by Chieh-Liang Huang, Ping-Ho Chen, Hsien-Yuan Lane, Ing-Kang Ho and Chia-Min Chung

J. Pers. Med. 2021, 11(4), 259; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm11040259 - 1 Apr 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1952

Abstract

Addiction is characterized by drug-craving, compulsive drug-taking, and relapse, and results from the interaction between multiple genetic and environmental factors. Reward pathways play an important role in mediating drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviors, and relapse. The objective of this study was to identify heroin addicts who carry specific genetic variants in their dopaminergic reward systems. A total of 326 heroin-dependent patients undergoing methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) were recruited from the Addiction Center of the China Medical University Hospital. A heroin-use and craving questionnaire was used to evaluate the urge for heroin, the daily or weekly frequency of heroin usage, daily life disturbance, anxiety, and the ability to overcome heroin use. A general linear regression model was used to assess the associations of genetic polymorphisms in one’s dopaminergic reward system with heroin-use and craving scores. Results: The most significant results were obtained for rs2240158 in GRIN3B (p = 0.021), rs3983721 in GRIN3A (p = 0.00326), rs2129575 in TPH2 (p = 0.033), rs6583954 in CYP2C19 (p = 0.033), and rs174699 in COMT (p = 0.036). These were all associated with heroin-using and craving scores with and without adjustments for age, sex, and body mass index. We combined five variants, and the ensuing dose-response effect indicated that heroin-craving scores increased with the numbers of risk alleles (p for trend = 0.0008). These findings will likely help us to understand the genetic mechanism of craving, which will help in predicting the risk of relapse in clinical practice and the potential for therapies to target craving in heroin addiction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Neurobiological Mechanisms Underlying Individual Differences in Addiction)

Review

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28 pages, 1561 KiB

Open AccessReview

Early Life Stress and Risks for Opioid Misuse: Review of Data Supporting Neurobiological Underpinnings

by Lynn M. Oswald, Kelly E. Dunn, David A. Seminowicz and Carla L. Storr

J. Pers. Med. 2021, 11(4), 315; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm11040315 - 19 Apr 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4279

Abstract

A robust body of research has shown that traumatic experiences occurring during critical developmental periods of childhood when neuronal plasticity is high increase risks for a spectrum of physical and mental health problems in adulthood, including substance use disorders. However, until recently, relatively few studies had specifically examined the relationships between early life stress (ELS) and opioid use disorder (OUD). Associations with opioid use initiation, injection drug use, overdose, and poor treatment outcome have now been demonstrated. In rodents, ELS has also been shown to increase the euphoric and decrease antinociceptive effects of opioids, but little is known about these processes in humans or about the neurobiological mechanisms that may underlie these relationships. This review aims to establish a theoretical model that highlights the mechanisms by which ELS may alter opioid sensitivity, thereby contributing to future risks for OUD. Alterations induced by ELS in mesocorticolimbic brain circuits, and endogenous opioid and dopamine neurotransmitter systems are described. The limited but provocative evidence linking these alterations with opioid sensitivity and risks for OUD is presented. Overall, the findings suggest that better understanding of these mechanisms holds promise for reducing vulnerability, improving prevention strategies, and prescribing guidelines for high-risk individuals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Neurobiological Mechanisms Underlying Individual Differences in Addiction)

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