Differences in orexin-A level in the functional brain network of HUD patients undergoing harm reduction therapy. Issue 33 (19th August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: You, Wan-Ru; Lin, Liang-Chun; Lin, Wei-Che; Tsai, Meng-Chang
• Is Part Of: Medicine. Volume 101:Issue 33(2022)
• Page Start: e30093
• Publication Date: 2022-08-19
• Subjects: functional brain network -- harm reduction therapy -- heroin -- HUD -- orexin-A; Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine -- Périodiques; Geneeskunde; Medicine; Periodicals; Periodicals; 610.5
• DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000030093
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0025-7974

Abstract

Abstract : Orexins regulate the reward-seeking pathway and also play a role in drug addiction. The aim of this study was an investigation of the changes in serum level of orexin-A as well as changes in the functional brain network in heroin use disorder (HUD) patients undergoing harm reduction therapy (HRT). Twenty-five HUD patients undergoing HRT that included methadone and buprenorphine, and 31 healthy control (HC) subjects, were enrolled for this study. Serum orexin-A levels and brain-derived neurotrophic factor were measured with assay kits. The functional brain network in HUD patients and HC was investigated and assessed using seed-based analysis and functional brain MRI scans. t Tested orexin-A levels were found to be significantly higher in HUD patients undergoing HRT than in HCs ( P < .05). Analysis showed the functional activity of the right ventral anterior insula (RVAI) in HUD patients to be significantly lower than in HCs ( P < .05, Family-Wise Error) corrected). In addition, the internetwork functional connectivity was significantly lower in the left nucleus accumbens and left dorsal anterior insula in the HUD subjects than in HCs ( P < .05, Family-Wise Error corrected). In this study, no significant correlation between orexin-A levels and functional brain networks was found. However, the results suggest that HRT might increase orexin-A levels and decrease functional activity in RVAI in HUD patients.