Stimulant-like action of nicotine on striatal dopamine transporter in the brain of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Eleven adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) without medication, consuming 7-40 cigarettes per day, showed statistically significant lower values for striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) measured by [99mTc]TRODAT-1 SPECT compared to 11 non-smoking drug-naive patients with ADHD, matched for sex and age, despite higher ADHD scores for the smokers. Because stimulants have been shown to reduce primarily elevated DAT density in adults with ADHD, it can be suggested that nicotine acts in a similar way on striatal DAT as do stimulants.