title: Longitudinal changes of dopamine transporters in heroin users during abstinence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic exposure to heroin results in decreased dopamine transporter levels. Jitai tablets, a traditional Chinese medicine, have been effective at increasing striatal dopamine transporter availability after 6 months of treatment. However, it remains unknown how long the heroin-induced impairment persists and whether dopamine transporter can be normalized following long-term abstinence or treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was to evaluate the time course of dopamine transporter changes in heroin users undergoing long-term abstinence and treatment with Jitai tablets for 1 year.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single-photon emission computed tomography using [(99m)Tc]TRODAT-1 was performed on 64 heroin users and 20 healthy subjects to assess striatal dopamine transporter availability at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Heroin users were randomly assigned to treatment with either placebo or Jitai tablets. Depression and anxiety scores were measured before each imaging session.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with healthy controls, significant reduction in dopamine transporter availability was found in heroin users at baseline in both the right (by ∼ 31.6%) and left striatum (by ∼ 33.2%). At 6 months, dopamine transporter availability was significantly higher in Jitai tablet-treated group than placebo group in the bilateral striatum (p < 0.01). At 12 months, dopamine transporter levels in both groups were upregulated substantially from baseline but still not recovered to normal levels in the left striatum (p < 0.05). Depression and anxiety scores significantly decreased at 3, 6, and 12 months (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results confirmed that heroin abuse induces pronounced, long-term reduction in dopamine transporter. Treatment with Jitai tablets appears to stimulate recovery.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Radiopharmaceuticals, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shasha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yangping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Yiyun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Rongbin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Yuankai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guangming
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhirui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Xingdang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Daxu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000378:metabolism*; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods; D014326:Tropanes
chemical_list: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D014326:Tropanes; C104196:technetium Tc 99m TRODAT-1