Research summary
An integrated neurobiological framework for addiction was developed in which dopamine drives acute reward and initiation, while end-stage addiction reflects cellular adaptations in anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal cortex, and the basolateral amygdala that bias choice and motivation toward drug seeking; the review tied these circuit changes to candidate pharmacotherapeutic targets [1]. An earlier model marshalled neuroimaging evidence to extend the limbic-subcortical view of addiction to frontal cortical structures, arguing that orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus underpin the intoxication, bingeing, withdrawal, and craving phases [3]. A subsequent synthesis reviewed prevention and treatment advances supporting addiction as a brain disease, addressing why the model still meets resistance despite its policy and clinical utility [4]. A short article surveyed evidence on adverse health effects of marijuana use as policy environments changed [2]. Two methods papers underpin the neuroimaging side of this program. A graphical analysis was introduced for ligands that bind reversibly to receptors or enzymes, plotting time-integrated tissue activity against plasma input to extract steady-state distribution volumes from PET data; the slope formula was derived for two-compartment kinetics and applied to [N-11C-methyl]-(-)-cocaine human studies [6]. A follow-up extended the approach to a distribution volume ratio (DVR) that does not require arterial blood sampling, using a non-receptor reference region with average tissue-to-plasma efflux constant k2 to approximate the plasma integral; the method was validated against [11C]raclopride (n=20) and [11C]d-threo-methylphenidate (n=8) datasets where arterial input had been measured, with results matched to the conventional sampling-based analysis [5]. These tools form the quantitative backbone for the receptor-imaging work that supports the cortical and striatal addiction circuit models in the parallel review series.
Recent publications
- Neurocircuitry of AddictionDOI
- Neurobiology of addiction: a neurocircuitry analysisDOI
- The Neural Basis of Addiction: A Pathology of Motivation and ChoiceDOI
- Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana UseDOI
- Dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex in addiction: neuroimaging findings and clinical implicationsDOI
- Drug Addiction and Its Underlying Neurobiological Basis: Neuroimaging Evidence for the Involvement of the Frontal CortexDOI
- Brain dopamine and obesityDOI
- Neurobiologic Advances from the Brain Disease Model of AddictionDOI
- Distribution Volume Ratios without Blood Sampling from Graphical Analysis of PET DataDOI
- Graphical Analysis of Reversible Radioligand Binding from Time—Activity Measurements Applied to [ N - 11 C-Methyl]-(−)-Cocaine PET Studies in Human SubjectsDOI
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Email Nora D. Volkow 6-12 months before your application deadline. Read several recent papers and reference specific work in your message. Use our how to email a Japanese professor guide for the proven email structure.
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External profiles
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6668-0908
- OpenAlex: openalex.org
Profile compiled from public sources (Researchmap, OpenAlex, Nagoya University faculty directory). Last refreshed 2026-05. Report incorrect information.