Functional connectivity differences between cocaine users and healthy controls: an fMRI study

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) represents a pervasive global health crisis characterized by the compulsive and detrimental use of psychoactive substances. In this study, we explore the functional connectivity disparities between two age- and sex-matched groups comprising 53 individuals with Cocaine Use Disorder (CUD) and 52 Healthy Control (HC) subjects. We employed resting-state fMRI data, which were preprocessed using the CONN toolbox, ensuring high-quality data for subsequent analysis. The CONN toolbox has a default atlas of 164 ROIs based on the FSL-Harvard Oxford atlas and the automated Anatomical Labeling Atlas (AAL). The investigation extended into first level and second level-analysis features within the CONN toolbox to discern functional connectivity patterns between these two groups. At the group level analysis centered on contrasting CUD patients and HCs, we particularly focused on the Region-of-Interest (ROI)-ROI connectivity maps in this study. This study revealed some key findings: Firstly, we observed that HC subjects exhibited significantly stronger connectivity between the Superior Temporal Gyrus (STG) and regions of interest within the basal ganglia network (BSL), compared to individuals with CUD. Secondly, the HC group demonstrated heightened connectivity between regions of interest belonging to the visual network and the cerebellum, contrasting with the weaker connectivity observed in the CUD group. Lastly, there was a notable increase in connectivity between the Inferior Temporal Gyrus, temporooccipital part (toITG), and the cerebellum in individuals with CUD, further emphasizing the disruption in functional connectivity within this population. Understanding these functional connectivity differences may inform future interventions and diagnostic approaches in the context of cocaine use disorder.