关键词: 物质成瘾, 心理渴求, 相关线索, 镜像神经, 奖赏系统

Abstract: Earlier image research on the craving of drug dependence, focused on the prefrontal cortex and reward circuits. The Mirror Neuron System (MNS) was recently discovered, located in the action planning regions of the brain and is known to be involved in the evolution and development of multiple psychological abilities in humans. MNS helps with understanding and analysis of the objective and nature of the observing action and then forms embody emotion and cognition. The most recent research study found that smoking cues activate the action planning regions in the smoker’s brains, which (are known to) overlap the MNS area in humans. The drug dependent individual can form a direct craving through the functioning of, simulation and understanding of MNS. Our current study focus on exploring the mechanism of MNS involved in the forming process of cue-induced craving. The result may offer another target for developing a reliable biomarker of dependence, which could help us to better understand the neuro-biological basis of the cue-induced craving-forming process

Key words: substance dependence, cue-induced craving, related cue, mirror neuron system, reward circuits