Imaging opioid system in alcohol dependence
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Imaging baseline mu opioid receptor availability and stimulated release of endogenous opioids in alcohol dependent patients using [11C]carfentanil PET and amphetamine challenge
IRAS ID
154907
Contact name
Anne Lingford- Hughes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Regulatory Compliance, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Research summary
Drinking alcohol is a widely socially accepted behaviour. However, a growing number of people drink in a harmful manner. In the UK, the prevalence of alcohol dependence is about 4%. This psychiatric disorder is characterised by withdrawal symptoms, tolerance, persistent desire to drink and continuing drinking despite negative consequences. Identifying the neurochemical mechanisms which underlie alcohol dependence is important for understanding both the causes of this disorder itself and the development of addictive behaviour in general.
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the role of a specific brain messenger system, called “the opioid system”, in male individuals addicted to alcohol and age-matched healthy controls. We suspect that there is a specific role of the opioid system in the mechanisms involved in addiction to alcohol.
It is possible to measure opioid receptor levels using a special chemical that has been labelled with a tiny dose of radioactivity and that can be detected with a type of brain scan called Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Furthermore, if the opioid system is stimulated to release opioid molecules, such a release can be detected by a reduction in binding of the radioactive agent used to label the opioid receptors. The brain’s release of opioids can be triggered by a dose of amphetamine. Thus, two PET scans are required to measure the aspects of the
opioid system of interest in this study; one scan to measure the baseline level and one scan after giving a dose of amphetamine.
Although the PET scans can tell us about opioid receptors in the brain, it does not give very detailed information about where in the brain they are. Therefore, we will be using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to take precise structural pictures of the brain and will also measure brain activation during performance of tasks of relevance for addiction processess.REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1552
Date of REC Opinion
2 Oct 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion