Accompanying alterations in reward-related neurocircuitry, drug-induced changes in amygdala-centered ‘anti-reward’ circuits have been associated with increased anxiety, irritability or aversive stress-like states that may mediate negative reinforcement mechanisms perpetuating drug use (Koob and le Moal, 2005). Amygdala’s interactions with medial prefrontal, cingulate, hippocampal, and insula regions are further implicated in processing emotional stimuli, generating affective states, and/or regulating emotion (Pezawas et al., 2005; Philips et al., 2003; Stein et al., 2007). Working under the hypothesis that amygdala and its interconnected circuitry are critical neural substrates mediating continued drug use, preliminary rsFC studies suggest that altered functional and structural amygdala-PFC connectivity may underlie aspects of emotional dysregulation often noted in addicted individuals.
