Neuroimaging and the NRLC

The NRLC actively collaborates with the Research Imaging Institute (RII) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). Researchers at the NRLC use state of the art neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neural circuitry underlying maladaptive behaviors, with a current focus on substance use disorder research in both addicted and at risk populations.

Neuroimaging Techniques used by the NRLC

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

fMRI takes advantage of rapid changes in blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signaling accompanying neural activations to noninvasively identify brain regions activated while performing specific behavioral tasks or passively resting.

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) MRI

DTI takes advantage of water naturally diffusing more readily along axons to determine primary directions of neural fibers. DTI can be used for tractography (inferring axon connectivity patterns) to compare axonal connections between populations.

Positron Emission Topography (PET)

PET images are constructed from gamma rays emitted from positron-releasing radionuclide tracers. Tracers used to measure brain activity include 18fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), which assays glucose utilization, and oxygen-15 (O-15) labeled water, which assays blood flow.

Neuroimaging Resources

Neuroimaging Bibliography

Neural substrates of reward, emotion, memory and impulsivity in adolescent marijuana users.
Acheson, A., Dawes, M.A., Mathias, C. W., and Dougherty, D. M. (2009).

Poster presented at the International Society for Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology 14th Scientific Meeting, Seattle, WA.
Differences in resting state brain glucose uptake in young adults with a family history of alcoholism.
Acheson, A., Cykowski, M. D., Glahn, D. C., Fox, P. T., Lovallo, W. R. (2009).

Poster presented at the Society for Neuroscience 39th Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Increased baseline activity in reward networks in young adults with a family history of alcoholism.
Acheson A., Cykowski, M. D., Laird, A. R., Glahn, D. C., Fox, P. T., Lovallo, W. R. (2010).

Poster presented at the Organization for Human Brain Mapping 16th Annual Meeting, Barcelona, Spain.
Reduced anterior corpus callosum white matter integrity is related to increased impulsivity and reduced discriminability in cocaine-dependent subjects: Diffusion tensor imaging.
Moeller FG, Hasan KM, Steinberg JL, Kramer LA, Dougherty DM, Santos RM, Valdes I, Swann AC, Barratt ES, Narayana PA (2005).

Neuropsychopharmacology, 30, 610-617.
Combining diffusion tensor imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy to study reduced frontal white matter integrity in youths with family histories of substance use disorders
Acheson, A., Wijtenburg, S. A., Rowland, L. M., Bray, B. C., Gaston, F., Mathias, C. W., Fox, P.T., Lovallo, W. R., Wright, S. N., Hong, L. E., McGuire, S., Kochunov, P., and Dougherty, D. M. (2014).

Human Brain Mapping, 35, 5877-5887.
Assessment of whole brain white matter integrity in youths and young adults with a family history of substance-use disorders
Acheson, A., Wijtenburg, A. S., Rowland, L. M., Winkler, A. M., Gaston, F., Mathias, C. W., Fox, P. T., Lavollo, W. R., Wright, S. N., Hong, L. E., Dougherty, D. M., and Kochunov, P. (2014).

Human Brain Mapping, 35, 5401-5413.
Anomalous temporoparietal activity in individuals with a family history of alcoholism: Studies from the Oklahoma Family Health Patterns Project
Acheson, A., Franklin, C., Cohoon, A. J., Glahn, D. C., Fox, P. T., and Lovallo, W. R. (2014).

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 38, 1639-1645
Increased forebrain activations in youths with family histories of alcohol and other Substance Use Disorders performing a Go/No Go Task
Acheson, A., Tagaments, M., Winkler, A., Rowland, L. M., Mathias, C. W., Write, S. N., Hong, L. E., Kochunov, P., and Dougherty, D. M. (2014).

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 38, 2944-2951.
Differential activation of the anterior cingulate cortex and caudate nucleus in persons with a family history of alcoholism during a gambling simulation: Studies from the Oklahoma Family Health Patterns Project..
Acheson, A., Robinson, J. L., Glahn, D. C., Lovallo, W. R., and Fox, P. T. (2009).

Drug and Alcohol Dependence 100, 17-23.
Impulsivity and BOLD fMRI activation in MDMA users and healthy control subjects.
Valdes, I. H., Steinberg, J. L., Narayana, P. A., Kramer, L. A., Dougherty, D. M., Swann, A. C., Barratt, E. S., and Moeller, F. G. (2006).

Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 147, 239-242.
Functional MRI study of working memory in MDMA users.
Moeller, F. G., Steinberg, J. L., Dougherty, D. M., Narayana, P. A., Kramer, L., and Renshaw, P. F. (2004).

Psychopharmacology, 177, 185-194.