[18F]Fallypride PET measurement of striatal and extrastriatal dopamine D2/3 receptor availability in patients with alcohol use disorder

Aim: Dopaminergic pathways are implicated in motivational aspects of substance use disorders. Molecular imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) revealed reductions in the availability of binding sites for D2/3 receptor ligands in striatum of withdrawn abusers of cocaine; corresponding results in alcoholics have been inconsistent so far. In the present study, we used the D2/3ligand [18F]fallypride to investigate dynamic changes in receptor availability in the striatum of patients with alcohol use disorder before and after undergoing a detoxification protocol. Methods: 17 male patients (mean age 44±5y) wit…