Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
4178700 Biological Psychiatry 2012 7 Pages PDF
Abstract

BackgroundWe aimed to demonstrate a pharmacologically stimulated endogenous opioid release in the living human brain by evaluating the effects of amphetamine administration on [11C]carfentanil binding with positron emission tomography (PET).MethodsTwelve healthy male volunteers underwent [11C]carfentanil PET before and 3 hours after a single oral dose of d-amphetamine (either a “high” dose, .5 mg/kg, or a sub-pharmacological “ultra-low” dose, 1.25 mg total dose or approximately .017 mg/kg). Reductions in [11C]carfentanil binding from baseline to post-amphetamine scans (ΔBPND) after the “high” and “ultra-low” amphetamine doses were assessed in 10 regions of interest.Results[11C]carfentanil binding was reduced after the “high” but not the “ultra-low” amphetamine dose in the frontal cortex, putamen, caudate, thalamus, anterior cingulate, and insula.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that oral amphetamine administration induces endogenous opioid release in different areas of human brain, including basal ganglia, frontal cortex areas, and thalamus. The combination of an amphetamine challenge and [11C]carfentanil PET is a practical and robust method to probe the opioid system in the living human brain.

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Life Sciences Neuroscience Biological Psychiatry
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