@article{GleichSpittaButleretal.2020,
  author    = {Gleich, Tobias and Spitta, Gianna and Butler, Oisin and Zacharias, Kristin and Aydin, Semiha and Sebold, Miriam and Garbusow, Maria and Rapp, Michael A. and Schubert, Florian and Buchert, Ralph and Heinz, Andreas and Gallinat, J{\"u}rgen},
  title     = {Dopamine D2/3 receptor availability in alcohol use disorder and individuals at high risk},
  series = {Addiction Biology},
  volume    = {26},
  journal   = {Addiction Biology},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {1369-1600},
  doi       = {10.1111/adb.12915},
  pages     = {1 -- 10},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the most common substance use disorder worldwide. Although dopamine-related findings were often observed in AUD, associated neurobiological mechanisms are still poorly understood. Therefore, in the present study, we investigate D2/3 receptor availability in healthy participants, participants at high risk (HR) to develop addiction (not diagnosed with AUD), and AUD patients in a detoxified stage, applying F-18-fallypride positron emission tomography (F-18-PET). Specifically, D2/3 receptor availability was investigated in (1) 19 low-risk (LR) controls, (2) 19 HR participants, and (3) 20 AUD patients after alcohol detoxification. Quality and severity of addiction were assessed with clinical questionnaires and (neuro)psychological tests. PET data were corrected for age of participants and smoking status. In the dorsal striatum, we observed significant reductions of D2/3 receptor availability in AUD patients compared with LR participants. Further, receptor availability in HR participants was observed to be intermediate between LR and AUD groups (linearly decreasing). Still, in direct comparison, no group difference was observed between LR and HR groups or between HR and AUD groups. Further, the score of the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS) was inversely correlated with D2/3 receptor availability in the combined sample. Thus, in line with a dimensional approach, striatal D2/3 receptor availability showed a linear decrease from LR participants to HR participants to AUD patients, which was paralleled by clinical measures. Our study shows that a core neurobiological feature in AUD seems to be detectable in an early, subclinical state, allowing more individualized alcohol prevention programs in the future.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SeboldSpittaGleichetal.2019,
  author    = {Sebold, Miriam and Spitta, G. and Gleich, T. and Dembler-Stamm, T. and Butler, Oisin and Zacharias, Kristin and Aydin, S. and Garbusow, Maria and Rapp, Michael A. and Schubert, Florian and Buchert, Ralph and Gallinat, J{\"u}rgen and Heinz, A.},
  title     = {Stressful life events are associated with striatal dopamine receptor availability in alcohol dependence},
  series = {Journal of neural transmission},
  volume    = {126},
  journal   = {Journal of neural transmission},
  number    = {9},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {Wien},
  issn      = {0300-9564},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00702-019-01985-2},
  pages     = {1127 -- 1134},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Stress plays a key role in modulating addictive behavior and can cause relapse following periods of abstinence. Common effects of stress and alcohol on the dopaminergic system have been suggested, although the precise mechanisms are unclear. Here, we investigated 20 detoxified alcohol-dependent patients and 19 matched healthy controls and assessed striatal D2/D3 availability using [F-18]-fallypride positron emission tomography and stressful life events. We found a strong association between striatal D2/D3 availability and stress in patients, but not in healthy controls. Interestingly, we found increased D2/D3 receptor availability in patients with higher stress levels. This mirrors complex interactions between stress and alcohol intake in animal studies and emphasizes the importance to investigate stress exposure in neurobiological studies of addiction.},
  language  = {en}
}