In summary, results of studies into inhibitory control in drug addiction suggest that there is dACC hypoactivity and deficient inhibitory control in drug-addicted individuals. Enhanced PFC activity has been reported after short-term abstinence, upon exposure to drug-related cues and to the drug itself (or similar pharmacological agents). However, although drug exposure is also associated with better performance in these cognitive tasks, short-term abstinence and exposure to drug-related cues have the opposite result on task performance. Viewed in the context of the proposed model (FIG. 3), although drugs of abuse offer temporary relief, chronic self-medication with these drugs has long-term consequences — reduced inhibitory control mechanisms and associated emotional disruptions — that may not be alleviated with short-term abstinence, and that are prone to be rekindled upon exposure to drug-related cues. Normalizing these functions, using empirically based and targeted pharmacological and cognitive–behavioural interventions — in combination with the relevant reinforcers — should become a goal in the treatment of addiction.
