receptors and dopamine release in the striatum in addicted subjects [50], which can also lead to reduced activity in other cortical reward regions such as the orbitofrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus, resulting in loss of control and compulsive substance use. It may be worth noting that the majority of the hypoconnected regions in AUD (9 out of 13 regions) involved the right hemisphere, implicating hemispheric asymmetry in connectivity in AUD and, hence, their functional attributes [99]. For instance, laterality studies on motivation and emotions reported that the right hemisphere responds more to unpredicted, urgent, and novel environmental events, while the left hemisphere engages with routine and habitual behaviors [100]. Therefore, it is possible that the alterations in resting state brain connectivity across reward network seen in AUD individuals have more impact on right hemispheric function, including novelty seeking and impulsivity [101].
