The effects of medication-assisted treatment on D2R availability in patients with opioid use disorder and the contribution of sleep

• Applicant: Dr. Rui Zhang
• Subject Area: Human Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience
• Term: from 2018 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 405485320

• Final Report Year: 2021

Final Report Abstract

The proposed work aims to investigate the effect of medication-assisted treatment (MAT+) on striatal D2R availability in opioid use disorder (OUD) and how it relates to sleep and cognition. Preliminary data (32 HC and 7 MAT+OUD) showed that lower D2R availability in MAT+OUD was associated with lower self-reported sleep quality, inconsistent sleep timing and sleep duration, longer simple reaction time and worse inhibitory control. While the associations between striatal D2R availability, cognition and self-reported sleep are in line with previous findings, the findings on correlation between D2R availability and sleep inconsistency are very novel and exciting. My previous work on sleep inconsistency and brain function during task and at rest has indicated a potential bi-directional link between dopaminergic system and sleep inconsistency in HC. In our preliminary data, however, we did not observe a correlation between striatal D2R availability and sleep inconsistency in HC. One possible explanation is that the correlation might be non-linear and has a ceiling effect. It’s also likely that sleep inconsistency in HC was correlated with other dopaminergic receptors, transporters or lower DA release. With further recruitment of MAT-and MAT+OUD, we are able to increase our statistical power to examine the MAT effect on D2R availability, sleep and cognition. Further studies on sleep inconsistency and dopaminergic modulation seem very promising.

Publications

• (2019). Brain default-mode network dysfunction in addiction. NeuroImage 200:313–331
  Zhang, R., Volkow, N. D.
  
• (2019). The associations of comorbid substance use disorders and psychiatric conditions with adolescent brain structure and function: A review. Journal of the Neurological Sciences
  Kroll, D.S., Feldman, D.E., Wang, S-Y. A., Zhang, R., Manza, P., Wiers, C.E., Volkow, N.D., Wang, G-J.
  
• (2020). Accelerated aging of the amygdala and the dark side of alcohol use disorder. Cerebral cortex
  Tomasi, D., Wiers, C.E., Manza, P., Shokri-Kojori, E., Zhang, R., Volkow, N.D.
  
• (2020). Ketogenic Diet Reduces Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms in Humans and Alcohol Intake in Rodents. Science Advances
  Wiers, C.E., Vendruscolo, L.F., Zhang, R., Volkow, N.D.
  
• (2020). Sleep inconsistency affects brain function during task and rest. Sleep
  Zhang, R., Tomasi, D., Shokri-Kojori, E., Wiers, C.E., Wang, G-J., Volkow, N.D.