The dlPFC node within the ECN has been proposed to play a key role in directing and sustaining attention during goal directed behavior and working memory [44,45]. While there is currently no universally accepted interpretation of stronger or weaker resting state fMRI functional connectivity, one suggestion proposed by some of the authors of the FMRIB Software Library (FSL) is that weaker within-network functional connectivity in a given set of voxels or regions may reflect weaker synchrony with the processes of a given network [33]. While speculative, weaker functional connectivity of the dlPFC within the LECN may be related to impaired recruitment of the dlPFC within the LECN during the initiation of goal directed behavior. This impaired recruitment may relate to the impaired attentional control and impulsivity found in substance use disorders [45]. Executive control deficits in OUD have been well documented and may be partially improved by drug abstinence and medication therapies [42]. If ECN functional connectivity is shown to relate to executive control deficits in OUD, it may serve as a target for OUD treatment studies.
