By Dr. Sanchari Sinha Dutta, Ph.D.May 2 2023Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM Scientists have identified neuromarkers of drug use-related affective and cognitive dysregulation that would help healthcare professionals determine individual psychophysiological vulnerabilities to apply personalized treatments.Study: Toward neuromarkers for tailored smoking cessation treatments. Image Credit: SOLOVEVAANASTASIIA/Shutterstock.
Identifying neuromarkers related to incentive salience and executive control via brain activity assessment has become a major active area of research in addictive neuroscience. Related StoriesThe second recommendation points out measuring brain activity while participants make drug-related decisions with immediate consequences. Moreover, they have mentioned that validating potential neuromarkers against drug-related behaviors is always important instead of self-reported cravings, as they cannot be objectively assessed.
Using the amplitude of late positive potential , the scientists measured neurological responses to nicotine-related and non-drug-related stimuli in 180 smokers during a quitting attempt. LLP is a neuromarker of affective responses modulated by a given stimulus's emotional intensity. Based on these findings, scientists mentioned that healthcare professionals could use these neuromarkers to identify individuals more susceptible to repeated drug-addictive behaviors. This would further help them offer personalized treatments to high-risk individuals.
According to the second recommendation, the scientists measured smokers' brain activities using electroencephalography during the presentation of visual stimuli and after the delivery of actual rewards.