Therefore, in the current study, we perform both cue-reactivity functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) on a group of 11 alcohol-addicted patients 24 hours following alcohol abstinence to investigate the neural correlates of alcohol-related craving. We hypothesize changes in BOLD signal, resting state EEG activity, and functional connectivity, in cortical and subcortical regions reported in previous research confirming the neural correlates of craving. The observed changes will demonstrate characteristics of reward and relief drinking. We therefore propose a “central craving network” that may encode craving in not just alcohol addiction but in substance abuse in general.
