Neuroimaging within

addiction science
B Y: H I L D A PA L O M A - E VA H I N O J O S A
XILENA ROSSO - FRANCHESCA FREYLE
L U I S A R E V U E LTA S - IZURI OROZCO
EEG MEG
THE BRAIN STRUCTURE,
A n d i t ' s e n o u g h t o s e e s m a l l s t r u c t u r e s i n t he b r a i n , s u c h a s t h e v e nt r a l
st r i a t u m , wh i c h i s p a r t o f t h e r e wa r d p r o c e ss i n g c i r c ui t , a n d t h e a m y gd a l a ,
w h i c h i s p a r t o f t h e e m o t i o n - p r o c e ssi n g c i r c u i t i n t h e b r a i n . O n e o f t h e m o st
e x c i t i ng a b i l i t i e s o f MR I i s t o se e t h e f un c t i on i n g b r a i n .
This uses the BOLD effect
or the Blood Oxygen Level Dependent effect. When a brain area's active, it consumes oxygen, for
metabolic purposes. Because of this, the venous blood flowing out of the area initially increases
in the level of deoxyhemoglobin.
Xile
TECHNIQUE OF BOLD COGNITIVE PROCESSES
Magnetic resonance
Different neurochemicals or neurotransmitters bind to different receptors in the brain. So we
have different chemicals in the brain like a lock and a key, and they bind to different targets.
Single photon emission tomography and positron emission tomography, SPET and PET, they are
well suited to looking at brain chemistry.
And in addictions, patients show lower levels of dopamine release. Together, these methods
have taught us about how the brain structure changes with disease and treatment, how the
brain functions differently in disease, and what the treatment effects are, how the brain's
chemical makeup differs.