Pearlson G D, Jeffery P J, Harris G J, Ross C A, Fischman M W, Camargo E E
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21287-7362.
Am J Psychiatry. 1993 Mar;150(3):495-7. doi: 10.1176/ajp.150.3.495.
The authors administered 48 mg of intravenous cocaine or placebo to eight abstinent cocaine users in a double-blind, crossover design and examined blood flow using single photon emission computed tomography. Cocaine produced significant decreases in frontal cortical and basal ganglia blood flow; these latter correlated negatively with increases in self-ratings of "rush" and "high." The authors conclude that these local effects are compatible with dopaminergic system involvement.
