Association of Low Striatal Dopamine D2 Receptor Availability With Nicotine Dependence Similar to That Seen With Other Drugs of Abuse

• Published in: The American journal of psychiatry Vol. 165; no. 4; pp. 507 - 514
• Main Authors: FEHR, Christoph, YAKUSHEV, Igor, DIELENTHEIS, Thomas, SCHMIDT, Lutz G, RÖSCH, Frank, BARTENSTEIN, Peter, GRANDER, Gerhard, SCHRECKENBERGER, Mathias, HOHMANN, Nina, BUCHHOLZ, Hans-Georg, LANDVOGT, Christian, DECKERS, Hanna, EBERHARDT, Alexandra, KLÄGER, Marie, SMOLKA, Michael N, SCHEURICH, Armin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychiatric Association 01-04-2008
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Basal Ganglia - chemistry; Basal Ganglia - diagnostic imaging; Basal Ganglia - metabolism; Behavior, Addictive - diagnosis; Behavior, Addictive - diagnostic imaging; Behavior, Addictive - metabolism; Benzamides - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon Radioisotopes; Fluorine Radioisotopes; Functional Laterality - physiology; Gyrus Cinguli - diagnostic imaging; Gyrus Cinguli - metabolism; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Positron-Emission Tomography - statistics & numerical data; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Pyrrolidines - metabolism; Receptors, Dopamine D2 - metabolism; Receptors, Dopamine D3; Smoking - adverse effects; Smoking - psychology; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - diagnosis; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - diagnostic imaging; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - metabolism; Substance-Related Disorders - diagnosis; Substance-Related Disorders - diagnostic imaging; Substance-Related Disorders - metabolism; Temporal Lobe - diagnostic imaging; Temporal Lobe - metabolism; Tobacco smoking; Tobacco Use Disorder - diagnosis; Tobacco Use Disorder - diagnostic imaging; Tobacco Use Disorder - metabolism; Tobacco, tobacco smoking; Toxicology; Consumption; Human; Dopamine receptor; Craving; Central nervous system; Tobacco smoking; Male; Basal ganglion; Corpus striatum; Bioavailability; Encephalon; Alkaloid; D2 Dopamine receptor; Dependence; Drug of abuse; Positron emission tomography; Comparative study; Nicotine
• ISSN: 0002-953X; 1535-7228
• DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07020352

All drugs of abuse induce a phasic dopamine release within the striatum that does not undergo habituation. Prolonged substance consumption impairs the natural function of the mesolimbic dopamine system, as shown by a decrease in the availability of striatal dopamine 2 (D(2)) receptors in patients suffering from cocaine, heroin, amphetamine, and alcohol dependence. However, it is unclear whether similar changes can also be observed in heavy-smoking nicotine-dependent smokers.
In vivo D(2)/D(3) receptor availability was determined with [ (18)F]fallypride positron emission tomography in 17 heavy-smoking nicotine-dependent subjects and in 21 age-matched never-smoking comparison subjects. The smokers were scanned twice: first, during a period of usual consumption and second, 24 hours after smoking cessation.
Independent of the withdrawal status, the nicotine-dependent smokers displayed significantly less availability of D(2)/D(3) receptors within the bilateral putamen functionally covering parts of the dorsal striatum, as compared to the never-smoking subjects. Nicotine craving under the consumption condition correlated positively with D(2)/D(3) receptor availability within the ventral striatum but negatively with D(2)/D(3) receptor availability within the anterior cingulate and inferior temporal cortex.
Similar to other types of substance abuse, nicotine dependence is associated with low availability of dorsal striatal D(2)/D(3) receptors. In contrast to previous findings on abstinent alcohol-dependent patients, nicotine craving seems to be maintained by a region-specific shift in D(2)/D(3) receptor availabilities, with higher availability within the ventral striatum but lower availability within the anterior cingulate and inferior temporal cortex.