Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 4 September 2026 · From issue 32
Brain metabolic correlates of heroin addiction severity during abstinence and heroin versus social seeking: A PET study in rats
In rats, resting brain activity, not drug-seeking behavior, tracked how severe heroin addiction was.
Ginevra D’Ottavio, Alana Sullivan et al.
Rats trained to seek both heroin and social contact used more brain energy than rats given only saline. This extra energy use showed up in many brain areas, both when the rats rested and when they sought heroin or company. The strongest clue to addiction severity was not seen during active drug seeking. Instead, it showed up in the resting brain, with certain regions using less energy and others using more.
Shown only in trained rats during rest, not during active heroin or social seeking.
Rats only, small brain-scan study, no human data yet.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 8 September 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). Read the source
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