The ECN is proposed to play a role in executing goal-directed behavior. Dysfunction in the ECN has been linked to multiple psychopathologies, including substance use disorders [4,43]. Reese et al. (2019) found weaker functional connectivity within the LECN in cocaine use disorder subjects compared to healthy controls [39]. Two studies found contrasting results in alcohol use disorder – Weiland et al. (2014) found weaker functional connectivity within the LECN in alcohol use disorder subjects relative to healthy controls, while Zhu et al. (2017) found stronger functional connectivity in the LECN in alcohol use disorder subjects relative to healthy controls [40,41]. The opposing findings of Zhu et al. (2017) may be because their reported region within the LECN with increased functional connectivity was in the left posterior parietal cortex, while the region with significantly weaker LECN functional connectivity from our study was in the left dlPFC [41]. Although both Reese et al. (2019) and Weiland et al. (2014) found weaker functional connectivity in the LECN, they did not report which specific region within the LECN showed decreased functional connectivity [39,40].
