High levels of dopamine activity in the basal ganglia of cigarette smokers.
OBJECTIVE
The authors' goal was to study presynaptic dopamine activity in smoking and nonsmoking human subjects in vivo.


METHODS
[(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.
Salokangas
R K
RK
Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Central Hospital, Finland. Raimo.K.R.Salokangas@tyks.fi
Vilkman
H
H
Ilonen
T
T
Taiminen
T
T
Bergman
J
J
Haaparanta
M
M
Solin
O
O
Alanen
A
A
Syvälahti
E
E
Hietala
J
J
D000328:Adult; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011699:Putamen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D012907:Smoking / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; C043437:fluorodopa F 18; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine; D004298:Dopamine