Positron Emission Tomography Shows Elevated Cannabinoid CB 1 Receptor Binding in Men with Alcohol Dependence

52Citations
Citations of this article
64Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

Background: Several lines of evidence link cannabinoid (CB) type 1 (CB 1) receptor-mediated endogenous CB (eCB) signaling to the etiology of alcohol dependence (AD). However, to date, only peripheral measures of eCB function have been collected in living humans with AD and no human in vivo data on the potentially critical role of the brain CB 1 receptor in AD have been published. This is an important gap in the literature, because recent therapeutic developments suggest that these receptors could be targeted for the treatment for AD. Methods: Medication-free participants were scanned during early abstinence 4 weeks after their last drink. Using positron emission tomography (PET) with a high-resolution research tomograph and the CB 1 receptor selective radiotracer [11 C]OMAR, we determined [11 C]OMAR volume of distribution (V T) values, a measure of CB 1 receptor density, in a priori selected brain regions in men with AD (n = 8, age 37.4 ± 7.9 years; 5 smokers) and healthy control (HC) men (n = 8, age 32.5 ± 6.9 years; all nonsmokers). PET images reconstructed using the MOLAR algorithm with hardware motion correction were rigidly aligned to the subject-specific magnetic resonance (MR) image, which in turn was warped to an MR template. Time-activity curves (TACs) were extracted from the dynamic PET data using a priori selected regions of interest delineated in the MR template space. Results: In AD relative to HC, [11 C]OMAR V T values were elevated by approximately 20% (p = 0.023) in a circuit, including the amygdala, hippocampus, putamen, insula, anterior and posterior cingulate cortices, and orbitofrontal cortex. Age, body mass index, or smoking status did not influence the outcome. Conclusions: These findings agree with preclinical evidence and provide the first, albeit still preliminary in vivo evidence suggesting a role for brain CB 1 receptors in AD. The current study design does not answer the important question of whether elevated CB 1 receptors are a preexisting vulnerability factor for AD or whether elevations develop as a consequence of AD. © 2012 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

References Powered by Scopus

Automated anatomical labeling of activations in SPM using a macroscopic anatomical parcellation of the MNI MRI single-subject brain

13468Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cannabinoid receptor localization in brain

2072Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Consensus nomenclature for in vivo imaging of reversibly binding radioligands

1719Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

Endocannabinoid signalling in reward and addiction

376Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Mapping neurotransmitter systems to the structural and functional organization of the human neocortex

230Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Personalized medicine in psychiatry: Problems and promises

205Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Neumeister, A., Normandin, M. D., Murrough, J. W., Henry, S., Bailey, C. R., Luckenbaugh, D. A., … Huang, Y. (2012). Positron Emission Tomography Shows Elevated Cannabinoid CB 1 Receptor Binding in Men with Alcohol Dependence. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 36(12), 2104–2109. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2012.01815.x

Readers over time

‘12‘13‘14‘15‘16‘17‘18‘19‘20‘21‘22‘23‘24036912

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 18

50%

Researcher 12

33%

Professor / Associate Prof. 6

17%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Neuroscience 12

35%

Psychology 9

26%

Agricultural and Biological Sciences 7

21%

Medicine and Dentistry 6

18%

Article Metrics

Tooltip
Mentions
References: 1
Social Media
Shares, Likes & Comments: 10

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free
0