PET imaging reveals brain activity related to alcohol addiction

PET scans have revealed for the first time what may be a key molecular driver of stress and addiction in people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to a study published January 21 in Neurobiology of Stress. A group at Yale University in New Haven, CT, used PET imaging to visualize levels of a brain enzyme that generates cortisol in response to stress in people with AUD and compared findings to healthy controls, with the results establishing a foundation for new research, wrote lead author Terril Verplaetse, PhD, and colleagues. “Preliminary findings indicate that individuals with AUD have higher  [Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (beta-11 HSD1)] availability than healthy individuals, in brain regions specific to the ‘dark side of addiction,’ ” the group wrote. Regions specific to the dark side of addiction include what is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a system that regulates the body's stress response, the authors explained. Preclinical studies have shown that chronic alcohol exposure increases levels of brain cortisol, for instance, and that this hyperreactivity may blunt the ability of the HPA axis to respond to stress, they noted. However, results from this preliminary research have been mixed, and in 2019 researchers developed a PET radiotracer that binds to an enzyme involved in cortisol activity (beta-11 HSD1); in this study, the group used the tracer to visualize this enzyme activity for the first time in humans, they wr...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Subspecialties Neuroradiology Source Type: news