The Impacts of Actual and Perceived Nicotine Administration on Insula Functional Connectivity with the Anterior Cingulate Cortex and Nucleus Accumbens

Overview

Journal J Psychopharmacol

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Pharmacology

Date 2019 Sep 24

PMID 31542980

Citations 5

Authors

Robin N Perry

Hera E Schlagintweit

Christine Darredeau

Carl Helmick

Aaron J Newman

Kimberley P Good

Sean P Barrett

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Changes in resting state functional connectivity between the insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex as well as between the insula and nucleus accumbens have been linked to nicotine withdrawal and/or administration. However, because many of nicotine's effects in humans appear to depend, at least in part, on the belief that nicotine has been administered, the relative contribution of nicotine's pharmacological actions to such effects requires clarification.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of perceived and actual nicotine administration on neural responses.

Methods: Twenty-six smokers were randomly assigned to receive either a nicotine inhaler (4 mg deliverable) or a nicotine-free inhaler across two sessions. Inhaler content instructions (told nicotine vs told nicotine-free) differed across sessions. Resting state functional connectivity between sub-regions of the insula and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and nucleus accumbens was measured using magnetic resonance imaging before and after inhaler administration.

Results: Both actual and perceived nicotine administration independently altered resting state functional connectivity between the anterior insula and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, with actual administration being associated with decreased resting state functional connectivity, and perceived administration with increased resting state functional connectivity. Actual nicotine administration also contralaterally reduced resting state functional connectivity between the anterior insula and nucleus accumbens, while reductions in resting state functional connectivity between the mid-insula and right nucleus accumbens were observed when nicotine was administered unexpectedly. Changes in resting state functional connectivity associated with actual or perceived nicotine administration were unrelated to changes in subjective withdrawal and craving. Changes in withdrawal and craving were however independently associated with resting state functional connectivity between the nucleus accumbens and insula.

Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of considering non-pharmacological factors when examining drug mechanisms of action.

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