title: Brain dopaminergic system changes in drug addiction: a review of positron emission tomography findings.
abstract: Dopamine (DA) is considered crucial for the rewarding effects of drugs of abuse, but its role in addiction remains unclear. Positron emission tomography (PET) is the first technology used for in vivo measurement of components of the dopaminergic system in the human brain. In this article, we review the major findings from PET imaging studies on the involvement of DA in drug addiction, including presynaptic DA synthesis, vesicular monoamine transporter 2, the DA transporter, and postsynaptic DA receptors. These results have corroborated the role of DA in addiction and increased the understanding of its underlying mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Haifeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Chunyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shaowei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D050493:Vesicular Monoamine Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D050493:Vesicular Monoamine Transport Proteins; D004298:Dopamine