Addiction Connectome Core

University Of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY: Addiction Connectome Core The pattern of connections between brain regions (the brain’s wiring diagram) determines how they communicate and ultimately, how they contribute to behavior. Understanding how connectivity changes with drugs is essential for determining the mechanisms of addiction. Recent innovations in neuroimaging have allowed scientists to study neural connectivity across the whole brain. This work has taken place mostly in humans. At the same time, invasive methods in animal models have led to a wealth of information on cellular changes. However, these two approaches remain largely disconnected. The Addiction Connectome Core (ACC) will bridge this translational gap by supporting the development of a whole-brain, multimodal connectome in rodents and non-human primates. The connectome will shed light on the predictors and consequences of addiction. In addition to developing novel imaging tools (e.g., dopaminergic imaging) and collecting core data for the connectome, we will also facilitate the integration of complementary data from Center Users and researchers outside of University of Minnesota. The ACC will integrate and make publicly available data bearing on its mission from three sources: (1) data specifically collected for the Core, (2) data collected by the other Cores (Structural Circuits Core and Addiction Neural Dynamics Core), and (3) data collected by extramural scientists. As such, the core will lead to the generation and curation of a high-quality translational multi-modal connectome of structure and function as it relates to addiction.