Kuikka J T, Repo E, Bergström K A, Tupala E, Tiihonen J
Department of Clinical Physiology, Kuopio University Hospital, FIN-70210, Kuopio, Finland.
Neurosci Lett. 2000 Sep 29;292(1):57-9. doi: 10.1016/s0304-3940(00)01423-3.
Late onset type 1 alcoholism has been suggested to be associated with decreased dopaminergic transmission. Our hypothesis was that late onset type 1 alcoholics have also abnormal extrastriatal dopamine D(2)/D(3) receptor distribution. We performed binding, heterogeneity and laterality analysis of extrastriatal and striatal dopamine D(2)/D(3) receptors in nine late onset male alcoholics and in 12 age-matched healthy males. A radioligand, [(123)I]epidepride was used in high resolution single-photon emission tomography (SPET). Specific binding of epidepride in the left temporal pole was significantly (P<0.05) lower in type 1 alcoholics (0.74+/-0.14 ml/ml) than in controls (0.89+/-0.14 ml/ml). In alcoholics, there was no normal left-to-right asymmetry of the temporal cortical heterogeneity of epidepride distribution observed in control males (0.89+/-0.19 vs. 1.10+/-0.19; P<0.05). The results suggest that the specific binding of dopamine D(2)/D(3) receptors in late type 1 alcoholics is decreased and its laterality in the temporal brain is altered from normal.
