Work

Comparable reductions in subcortical activity during Stroop task performance in individuals with opioid use disorder receiving treatment for cocaine use disorder and a healthy control group

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background Cocaine use disorder (CUD) and Opioid use disorder (OUD) are public health concerns warranting treatment development efforts. This study investigated changes in neural activity in individuals undergoing treatment for CUD to inform brain mechanistic understanding. Methods A CUD/OUD group (n = 32) engaged in a color-word Stroop-task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after 12 weeks of treatment. They were compared to a healthy control group (n = 15) who were also scanned approximately 12 weeks apart. The CUD/OUD group was part of a larger randomized controlled trial in which methadone-maintained patients with CUD/OUD were randomly assigned to computer-based training for cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT4CBT) and/or galantamine (or placebo). Analyses assessed changes in Strooprelated activity in the entire sample as well as within and between groups. An additional analysis compared a CUD/OUD group who has received at least five treatment sessions with the control group. Results In the entire sample, a reduction of Stroop-related activity was observed in the midbrain, inferior frontal gyrus, putamen, caudate, and middle cingulate cortex at the second fMRI scan, relative to baseline. The comparison of the treatment-engaged subgroup with the healthy control group showed comparable reductions of Strooprelated activity in the putamen. Conclusions Activity of brain areas associated with higher cognitive functions, such as cognitive control, differs at a second assessment, suggesting possible habituation. In contrast to previous findings, we did not detect changes in Stroop-related activity associated with treatment outcomes in CUD.

Source: Addiction Neuroscience

DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2026.100254