Cocaine abusers do not show loss of dopamine transporters with age.
Cocaine blocks dopamine transporters (DAT) and this effect is crucial to its reinforcing properties. To assess the effects of chronic cocaine on DAT we evaluated 20 current cocaine abusers and 20 age matched controls using PET and [C-11]cocaine as a DAT ligand. Though there were no differences in DAT availability between groups, current cocaine abusers (and 12 detoxified cocaine abusers studied previously) did not show the typical age-related decline in DAT seen in controls. Though further studies are required to rule out sampling effects and to control for confounding variables (i.e. smoking), one could speculate that chronic DAT blockade by cocaine has a protective effect on the loss of DAT with age.
Wang
G J
GJ
Medical Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, USA.
Volkow
N D
ND
Fowler
J S
JS
Fischman
M
M
Foltin
R
R
Abumrad
N N
NN
Logan
J
J
Pappas
N R
NR
D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000378:metabolism; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012907:Smoking; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000378:metabolism*
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C493214:SLC6A3 protein, human; D003042:Cocaine