Priority CommunicationDopamine Release in Chronic Cannabis Users: A [11C]Raclopride Positron Emission Tomography Study
Section snippets
Study Population
The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the New York State Psychiatric Institute. All participants provided written informed consent. Inclusion criteria for cannabis users (CD) were as follows: age 21 to 55 years; regular cannabis use of at least 5 times per week or meeting DSM-IV criteria for cannabis dependence but no other current or past Axis I disorder (including current nicotine dependence), no or minimal exposure to other drugs of abuse, willingness to detoxify from
Participants
Thirty-one participants with cannabis dependence and one with cannabis abuse, but similar amount and chronicity of use to the dependent participants, were initially enrolled in the study. Seven participants were lost to follow-up or withdrew consent, one participant was disqualified for cerebral vascular malformation, and 7 participants were disqualified due to their inability to abstain from cannabis use (no decrease in urine cannabinoid levels over a period of at least 3 weeks). Seventeen
Discussion
This is the first report to evaluate both D2/3 receptor availability and striatal DA release capacity in chronic cannabis-dependent participants compared with matched control subjects.
Unlike other addictions, such as to alcohol, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine (22), chronic cannabis abuse or dependence is not associated with alterations in either of these indices. We therefore confirm the absence of alterations in D2/3 receptors previously reported (37) in a larger cohort and show for the
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