Dear AuntMinnie Member,
U.S. researchers are using PET to investigate some of the mysteries of alcoholism, such as why some children of alcoholic fathers are susceptible to the disease while others aren't.
That's according to a new story that we're featuring in our Molecular Imaging Digital Community by staff writer Wayne Forrest. In the study, researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse used PET to examine a group of people with a family history of alcoholism, and compared the results to those from a control group.
The researchers explored the link between alcoholism and dopamine D2 receptors, finding that higher D2 levels could exert a protective effect against alcoholism. The effect could manifest itself by making it less likely that some children of alcoholic parents will develop the disease, they suggested.
The findings echo an earlier study by German researchers that found that the severity of alcoholic craving was related to lower levels of a dopamine-binding radiotracer in the bilateral putamen area of the brain.
Get the rest of the details by clicking here, or visit our Molecular Imaging Digital Community, at molecular.auntminnie.com.
