title: High levels of dopamine activity in the basal ganglia of cigarette smokers.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Central Hospital, Finland. Raimo.K.R.Salokangas@tyks.fi
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Salokangas
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vilkman
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ilonen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taiminen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haaparanta
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Solin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alanen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Syvälahti
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hietala
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; C043437:fluorodopa F 18; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine; D004298:Dopamine