Although cue-reactivity and resting-state neurophysiological data independently provide evidence for changes in cortical and subcortical activity in alcohol addicts, to our knowledge there is no study that integrates both techniques in the same study. fMRI and EEG present their advantages and limitations in terms of spatial and temporal resolution. The high spatial resolution of fMRI aids in investigating activity of subcortical structures whereas the superior temporal resolution of EEG aids at looking at activity of cortical structures in different oscillatory bands. Changes in brain activity with a cue-reactivity paradigm represent the correlates of pathological craving in response to alcohol cues. Changes in spontaneous brain activity represent the same in the resting state. Thus, by combining the two we may be able to confirm the correlates of pathological craving, supporting a possible change in the state of the brain (i.e. allostasis) with high spatial and temporal resolution. Furthermore, compared to changes in BOLD signal and neural activity in the regions described above, changes in functional connectivity between these regions have been less explored both using fMRI-based cue-reactivity paradigms and resting state EEG.
