presence (versus absence) of an acute nicotine patch (Fig 2A), including ACC, parietal and medial superior frontal regions. These and other identified circuits are consistent with those implicated in nicotine's performance-enhancing properties (Heishman et al., 2010). However, in a double dissociation fashion, two bilateral dorsal ACC to ventral striatal circuits were identified whose connectivity strengths were inversely proportional to an individual’s level of nicotine addiction as measured by Fagerström scores, but were unaltered following nicotine patch administration (Fig 2B), suggesting specific circuits related to addiction severity and which, the authors speculate, may serve as a biomarker for studies of treatment outcome.
