Abstinence-induced changes have also been studied (McClernon et al. 2005) in 13 dependent smokers using event-related fMRI. FMRI images were taken after usual smoking and following overnight abstinence. Self-reported craving measures were also conducted before, during, and after scanning. Results revealed larger hemodynamic responses to smoking compared to control cues in ventral anterior cingulate gyrus and superior frontal gyrus. Results show that brain responses to smoking cues, while relatively stable at the group level following short-term abstinence, may be modulated by individual differences in craving in response to abstinence, particularly in regions subserving attention and motivation.
