Characterizing the formation and maintenance of drug-biased beliefs in opioid use disorder

The research will use a neurocomputational framework during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess how treatment-seeking individuals with OUD and matched healthy controls estimate and update their likelihood of drug- and nondrug-related negative events. Aim 1 will test if opioid users underestimate negative event likelihood and update beliefs differently based on outcome valence, especially for drug-related outcomes. Aim 2 will record brain activity during belief estimation and updating, hypothesizing involvement of cortico-limbic-striatal circuitry. Aim 3 will involve a 4-week ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study to determine the maintenance and durability of these optimistic beliefs in daily life. The project also includes a Diversity-F31 training plan to enhance knowledge in human addiction neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, advanced neuroimaging, and multi-level statistical/computational modeling.