Contemporary study: Li et al

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

Investigate the involvent of the posterior cingulate cortex in heroin dependence.

Aim to show the PCC is activated in a task that involves drug related cues

Question 2

Procedure

What measures design was used

Answer 2

repeated measures

Question 3

Procedure

sample size

Answer 3

29 total

14 experimental group
15 control group

Question 4

Procedure

Describe features of participants in experimental group

Answer 4

Heroin-free
previously used heroin for 19-182 months
35 mean age

Question 5

Procedure

Describe features of participants in control group

Answer 5

No history of drug dependence, head injury or psychiatric disorder

Participants in both groups smoked

Question 6

Procedure

IV and DV

Answer 6

IV - Experimental group vs control group

DV - 1 dv was self reported measured of subjective craving

Question 7

Procedure

What scanning technique was used and how many scans took place

Answer 7

fMRI scans

3 scans

Question 8

Procedure

Describe scan 1

Answer 8

Each participant had a structural MRI scan to identify standard anatomical areas

Question 9

Procedure

describe scan 2

Answer 9

fMRI scan took of participants resting state, fixing on a dot at the center of the screen.

Lasted 5 minutes

Question 10

Procedure

Describe scan 3

Answer 10

2nd fMRI scan 490 seconds long.

48 images were shown, 24 relating to heroin (like syringe needles) 24 neutral.

Each image showed for 2 seconds in random order

Self reported craving scores 0-10 taken.

Question 11

FIndings

Craving score findings

Answer 11

heroin user = higher subjective craving scores than control group.

avarage scores rose from 2.23 to 3.21

Question 12

FIndings

findings of brain activation in cue induced tasks

Answer 12

researchers found heroin users had stronger functional connectivity between the Posterior Cingulate Cortex and insula, and between PCC and dorsal striatum

Question 13

Conclusion

Answer 13

Findings show drug-related cues are powerful predictors of reward for heroin adicts, and that the PCC is linked to neural circuts invoved in drug cravings

Question 14

Strength of study (reliability)

What is a strength of the study

Answer 14

It has a high degree of standardised instructions

Question 15

Strength of study (reliability)

Evidence of this high degree of standardised instruction

Answer 15

All participants recieved the same heroin related and neutral images for the same amount of length (2 seconds)

Question 16

Strength of study (reliability)

What do these standardised instructions mean for the study

Answer 16

The study had high reliability and could be easily replicable

Question 17

Competing arguement of standardised instructions

What is a competing arguement for the standardised instructions

Answer 17

Some of the procedure was inadequate

Question 18

Competing arguement of standardised instructions

Example of inadequate procedure

Answer 18

sample size was too small, only 14 heroin users participated

Question 19

Competing arguement of standardised instructions

What does the low sample size mean

Answer 19

The chances of making Type 1 statistical errors increased, therefore differences in brain activity between the groups may not of been true

Question 20

Weakness of study

What is a weakness of the study

Answer 20

The influence of nicotine could have been a potential confounding variable

Question 21

Weakness of study

How can the use of nicotine been a confounding variable

Answer 21

Kohut 2017 found evidence that nicotine and heroin interact biochemically, this interaction could have potentially impacted the results of the experimental group

Question 22

Strength of study (validity)

What is a strength of the study

Answer 22

Researchers created tight controls for the study

Question 23

Strength of study (validity)

evidence of tight controls in the study

Answer 23

The control group was required to have no history of drug dependence and all participants couldn’t have any head trauma or psychological illness’

Question 24

Strength of study (validity)

What do these tight controls mean for the study

Answer 24

Reduced possibility of confounding variables impacting the study, therefore greater internal validity