Imaging Human Mesolimbic Dopamine Transmission With Positron Emission Tomography. Part II: Amphetamine-Induced Dopamine Release in the Functional Subdivisions of

Summary: The human striatum is functionally organized into limbic, associative, and sensorimotor subdivisions, which pro-cess information related to emotional, cognitive, and motor function. Dopamine projections ascending from the midbrain provide important modulatory input to these striatal subregions. The aim of this study was to compare activation of dopamine D2 receptors after amphetamine administration in the func-tional subdivisions of the human striatum. D2 receptor avail-ability (V3) was measured with positron emission tomography and [11C]raclopride in 14 healthy volunteers under control con-ditions and after the intravenous administration of amphet-amine (0.3 mg/kg). For each condition, [11C]raclopride was administered as a priming bolus followed by constant infusion, and measurements of D2 receptor availability were obtained under sustained binding equilibrium conditions. Amphetamin