Effects of Smoking Cessation on Presynaptic Dopamine Function of Addicted Male Smokers

TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of Smoking Cessation on Presynaptic Dopamine Function of Addicted Male Smokers

AU - Rademacher, Lena

AU - Prinz, Susanne

AU - Winz, Oliver

AU - Henkel, Karsten

AU - Dietrich, Claudia A

AU - Schmaljohann, Jörn

AU - Mohammadkhani Shali, Siamak

AU - Schabram, Ina

AU - Stoppe, Christian

AU - Cumming, Paul

AU - Hilgers, Ralf-Dieter

AU - Kumakura, Yoshitaka

AU - Coburn, Mark

AU - Mottaghy, Felix M

AU - Gründer, Gerhard

AU - Vernaleken, Ingo

N1 - Copyright © 2016 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PY - 2016/8/1

Y1 - 2016/8/1

N2 - BACKGROUND: There is evidence of abnormal cerebral dopamine transmission in nicotine-dependent smokers, but it is unclear whether dopaminergic abnormalities are due to acute nicotine abuse or whether they persist with abstinence. We addressed this question by conducting longitudinal positron emission tomography (PET) examination of smokers before and after 3 months of abstinence.METHODS: We obtained baseline 6-[(18)F]fluoro-L-DOPA (FDOPA)-PET scans in 15 nonsmokers and 30 nicotine-dependent smokers, who either smoked as per their usual habit or were in acute withdrawal. All smokers then underwent cessation treatment, and successful abstainers were re-examined by FDOPA-PET after 3 months of abstinence (n = 15). Uptake of FDOPA was analyzed using a steady-state model yielding estimates of the dopamine synthesis capacity (K); the turnover of tracer dopamine formed in living brain (kloss); and the tracer distribution volume (Vd), which is an index of dopamine storage capacity.RESULTS: Compared with nonsmokers, K was 15% to 20% lower in the caudate nuclei of consuming smokers. Intraindividual comparisons of consumption and long-term abstinence revealed significant increases in K in the right dorsal and left ventral caudate nuclei. Relative to acute withdrawal, Vd significantly decreased in the right ventral and dorsal caudate after prolonged abstinence. Severity of nicotine dependence significantly correlated with dopamine synthesis capacity and dopamine turnover in the bilateral ventral putamen of consuming smokers.CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a lower dopamine synthesis capacity in nicotine-dependent smokers that appears to normalize with abstinence. Further investigations are needed to clarify the role of dopamine in nicotine addiction to help develop smoking prevention and cessation treatments.

AB - BACKGROUND: There is evidence of abnormal cerebral dopamine transmission in nicotine-dependent smokers, but it is unclear whether dopaminergic abnormalities are due to acute nicotine abuse or whether they persist with abstinence. We addressed this question by conducting longitudinal positron emission tomography (PET) examination of smokers before and after 3 months of abstinence.METHODS: We obtained baseline 6-[(18)F]fluoro-L-DOPA (FDOPA)-PET scans in 15 nonsmokers and 30 nicotine-dependent smokers, who either smoked as per their usual habit or were in acute withdrawal. All smokers then underwent cessation treatment, and successful abstainers were re-examined by FDOPA-PET after 3 months of abstinence (n = 15). Uptake of FDOPA was analyzed using a steady-state model yielding estimates of the dopamine synthesis capacity (K); the turnover of tracer dopamine formed in living brain (kloss); and the tracer distribution volume (Vd), which is an index of dopamine storage capacity.RESULTS: Compared with nonsmokers, K was 15% to 20% lower in the caudate nuclei of consuming smokers. Intraindividual comparisons of consumption and long-term abstinence revealed significant increases in K in the right dorsal and left ventral caudate nuclei. Relative to acute withdrawal, Vd significantly decreased in the right ventral and dorsal caudate after prolonged abstinence. Severity of nicotine dependence significantly correlated with dopamine synthesis capacity and dopamine turnover in the bilateral ventral putamen of consuming smokers.CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a lower dopamine synthesis capacity in nicotine-dependent smokers that appears to normalize with abstinence. Further investigations are needed to clarify the role of dopamine in nicotine addiction to help develop smoking prevention and cessation treatments.

U2 - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.11.009

DO - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.11.009

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 26803340

SN - 0006-3223

VL - 80

SP - 198

EP - 206

JO - Biological Psychiatry

JF - Biological Psychiatry

IS - 3

ER -