engleski

Effects of route of administration on cocaine induced dopamine transporter blockade in the human brain

The route of administration influences the reinforcing effects effects of cocaine. Here we assessed whether there were differences in the efficacy of cocaine to block the dopamine transporters (major target for cocaine's reinforcing effects), as a function of route of administration. Positron emission tomography and cocaine (C-11), a dopamine transporter radioligand, were used to compare the levels of dopamine transporter blockade induced by intravenous, smoked and intranasal cocaine in 32 current cocaine abusers. Differences in the reinforcing effects of cocaine as a function of the route of administration are not due to differences in the efficiency of cocaine to block the dopamine transporters. The faster time course for the subjective effects for smoked than intravenous and for intravenous than for intranasal cocaine highlights the importance of the speed of cocaine's delivery into the brain on its reinforcing effects.

Addiction; Reinforcement; imaging; PET; Pharmacokinetics

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