Opiate-Induced Dopamine Release Is Modulated by Severity of Alcohol Dependence: An [18F]Fallypride Positron Emission Tomography Study

• Published in: Biological psychiatry (1969) Vol. 70; no. 8; pp. 770 - 776
• Main Authors: Spreckelmeyer, Katja N., Paulzen, Michael, Raptis, Mardjan, Baltus, Thomas, Schaffrath, Sabrina, Van Waesberghe, Julia, Zalewski, Magdalena M., Rösch, Frank, Vernaleken, Ingo, Schäfer, Wolfgang M., Gründer, Gerhard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 15.10.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Alcohol dependence; Alcoholism; Alcoholism - diagnosis; Alcoholism - diagnostic imaging; Alcoholism - metabolism; Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning; Analgesics, Opioid - pharmacology; Behavior, Addictive - diagnostic imaging; Behavior, Addictive - metabolism; Benzamides; Biological and medical sciences; Dopamine - metabolism; dopamine receptor availability; Fluorine Radioisotopes; Functional Neuroimaging - methods; Functional Neuroimaging - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Limbic System - diagnostic imaging; Limbic System - drug effects; Limbic System - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; opioid-dopamine interaction; Piperidines - pharmacology; positron emission tomography; Positron-Emission Tomography - methods; Positron-Emission Tomography - statistics & numerical data; Psychiatric/Mental Health; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Pyrrolidines; Radioligand Assay - methods; Radioligand Assay - statistics & numerical data; Receptors, Dopamine D2 - drug effects; Receptors, Dopamine D2 - metabolism; Receptors, Opioid, mu - agonists; Remifentanil; reward; Severity of Illness Index; Toxicology; μ-opioid receptors; reward; Alcohol dependence; opioid-dopamine interaction; positron emission tomography; dopamine receptor availability; μ-opioid receptors; Radionuclide study; Availability; Dopamine; Dopamine receptor; Alcoholism; μ Opioid receptor; Opiates; Catecholamine; Opioid peptide; Alcoholic beverage; Dependence; Neurotransmitter; Reward; Positron emission tomography; Release; Emission tomography

Preclinical data implicate the reinforcing effects of alcohol to be mediated by interaction between the opioid and dopamine systems of the brain. Specifically, alcohol-induced release of β-endorphins stimulates μ-opioid receptors (MORs), which is believed to cause dopamine release in the brain rewar...