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Availability of dopamine and serotonin transporters in opioid-dependent users—a two-isotope SPECT study

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Abstract

Rationale and objective

The aims of this study were to examine the differences between 32 opioid-dependent users treated with a very low dose of methadone or undergoing methadone-free abstinence and 32 controls.

Methods

SPECT analysis using [99mTc] TRODAT-1 to assess striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) availability and [123I] ADAM to assess midbrain serotonin transporter (SERT) availability were performed.

Results

Lower striatal DAT and midbrain SERT availabilities were noted in low-dose methadone users. History of metamphatamine use was associated with the lower striatal DAT. The striatal DAT of methadone-free abstainers was also lower than controls. The midbrain SERT availability tended to be higher in the methadone-free abstainers than the low-dose methadone users. The severity of depressive symptoms was negatively correlated with midbrain SERT availability in the opioid users.

Conclusion

The availability of striatal DAT tended to be, and the availability of midbrain SERT was, lower in the opioid users. History of metamphatamine use may confound the difference in straital DAT between controls and opioid users, as midbrain SERT and depressive symptoms are also associated with opioid use and abstinence.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from the Atomic Energy Council of Taiwan (962014L, 970930L, NL81376 to Y.K.Y.), the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC 97-NU-7-006-001 to Y.K.Y., NSC 97-2314-B-006-006-MY3 to Y.K.Y., and NSC 98-2314-B-006-024 to C.K.C.), and in part by a Ministry of Health Grant DOH98-TD-I-111-DD004 (R.B.L.), in addition to a grant from the National Cheng Kung University Project of Promoting Academic Excellence & Developing World Class Research Centers, Taiwan, Republic of China (R.B.L.). The authors gratefully acknowledge the administrative support of YH Chang, CJ Wang, HY Lin, HY Chen, CT Lin, and Linda Chang.

Conflict of interest

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. The funding institutions for this study had no further role in the study design; the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; the writing of the report; or the decision to submit the paper for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, 138 Sheng Li Road, Tainan, 704, Taiwan

    Tzung Lieh Yeh, Kao Chin Chen, I. Hui Lee, Po See Chen, Sheng-Yu Lee, Yen Kuang Yang & Ru-Band Lu

  2. Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Tzung Lieh Yeh, Kao Chin Chen, Shih-Hsien Lin, I. Hui Lee, Po See Chen, Sheng-Yu Lee, Yen Kuang Yang & Ru-Band Lu

  3. Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Tzung Lieh Yeh, Kao Chin Chen, Shih-Hsien Lin, I. Hui Lee, Po See Chen, Sheng-Yu Lee, Yen Kuang Yang & Ru-Band Lu

  4. Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University, Dou-Liou Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan

    Po See Chen

  5. Department of Nuclear Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Wei Jen Yao & Nan-Tsing Chiu

  6. Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Ru-Band Lu

  7. Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, Atomic Energy Council, Executive Yuan, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Mei-Hsiu Liao

Authors
  1. Tzung Lieh Yeh
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  2. Kao Chin Chen
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  3. Shih-Hsien Lin
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  4. I. Hui Lee
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  8. Yen Kuang Yang
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  9. Ru-Band Lu
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  10. Mei-Hsiu Liao
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  11. Nan-Tsing Chiu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yen Kuang Yang.

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Yeh, T.L., Chen, K.C., Lin, SH. et al. Availability of dopamine and serotonin transporters in opioid-dependent users—a two-isotope SPECT study. Psychopharmacology 220, 55–64 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2454-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2454-6

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