Abstract
Objective:
The authors' goal was to study presynaptic dopamine activity in smoking and nonsmoking human subjects in vivo.
Method:
[(18)F]Fluorodopa ([(18)F]DOPA) uptake K(i) values in the basal ganglia of nine smoking and 10 nonsmoking healthy men were measured with positron emission tomography.
Results:
Significantly higher [(18)F]DOPA uptake was observed in both the putamen (average 17.3% higher) and the caudate (average 30.4% higher) of smokers than in those of nonsmokers.
Conclusions:
Smoking is related to greater dopamine activity in the human basal ganglia. Nicotine-induced dopamine activity may be a relevant mechanism in dependence on cigarette smoking.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Basal Ganglia / diagnostic imaging
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Basal Ganglia / metabolism*
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Caudate Nucleus / diagnostic imaging
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Caudate Nucleus / metabolism
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Corpus Striatum / diagnostic imaging
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Corpus Striatum / metabolism
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Dihydroxyphenylalanine / analogs & derivatives
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Dopamine / metabolism*
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Dopamine / physiology
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Female
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Fluorine Radioisotopes
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Functional Laterality
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Humans
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Male
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Putamen / diagnostic imaging
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Putamen / metabolism
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Smoking / metabolism*
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Smoking / physiopathology
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Tobacco Use Disorder / metabolism
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Tobacco Use Disorder / physiopathology
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Tomography, Emission-Computed*
Substances
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Fluorine Radioisotopes
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fluorodopa F 18
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Dihydroxyphenylalanine
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Dopamine