title: Specific binding and laterality of human extrastriatal dopamine D2/D3 receptors in late onset type 1 alcoholic patients.
abstract: Late onset type 1 alcoholism has been suggested to be associated with decreased dopaminergic transmission. Our hypothesis was that late onset type 1 alcoholics have also abnormal extrastriatal dopamine D(2)/D(3) receptor distribution. We performed binding, heterogeneity and laterality analysis of extrastriatal and striatal dopamine D(2)/D(3) receptors in nine late onset male alcoholics and in 12 age-matched healthy males. A radioligand, [(123)I]epidepride was used in high resolution single-photon emission tomography (SPET). Specific binding of epidepride in the left temporal pole was significantly (P<0.05) lower in type 1 alcoholics (0.74+/-0.14 ml/ml) than in controls (0.89+/-0.14 ml/ml). In alcoholics, there was no normal left-to-right asymmetry of the temporal cortical heterogeneity of epidepride distribution observed in control males (0.89+/-0.19 vs. 1.10+/-0.19; P<0.05). The results suggest that the specific binding of dopamine D(2)/D(3) receptors in late type 1 alcoholics is decreased and its laterality in the temporal brain is altered from normal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, Kuopio University Hospital, FIN-70210, Kuopio, Finland. jkuikka@uku.fi
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Kuikka
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Repo
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Bergström
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tupala
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tiihonen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001549:Benzamides / Q000378:metabolism; D001665:Binding Sites; D003287:Contrast Media; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011759:Pyrrolidines / Q000378:metabolism; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D050637:Receptors, Dopamine D3; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
chemical_list: D001549:Benzamides; D003287:Contrast Media; C493593:DRD3 protein, human; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D011759:Pyrrolidines; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D050637:Receptors, Dopamine D3; C063525:epidepride