The role of executive control in human drug addiction

Abstract

Recent neurobiological models propose that executive control deficits play a critical role in the development and maintenance of drug addiction. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of executive control processes and their constituent neural network, and examine neuropsychological and neuroimaging evidence of executive control dysfunction in addicted drug users. We explore the link between attentional biases to drug-related stimuli and treatment outcome, and discuss recent work demonstrating that the hedonic balance between drug cues and natural reinforcers is abnormal in addiction. Finally, we consider the potential impact of early drug use on the developing adolescent brain, and discuss research examining premorbid executive control impairments in drug-naïve "at-risk" populations. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009.