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μ-Opioid receptor availability in the amygdala is associated with smoking for negative affect relief

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Abstract

Rationale

The perception that smoking relieves negative affect contributes to smoking persistence. Endogenous opioid neurotransmission, and the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) in particular, plays a role in affective regulation and is modulated by nicotine.

Objectives

We examined the relationship of MOR binding availability in the amygdala to the motivation to smoke for negative affect relief and to the acute effects of smoking on affective responses.

Methods

Twenty-two smokers were scanned on two separate occasions after overnight abstinence using [11C]carfentanil positron emission tomography imaging: after smoking a nicotine-containing cigarette and after smoking a denicotinized cigarette. Self-reports of smoking motives were collected at baseline, and measures of positive and negative affect were collected pre- and post- cigarette smoking.

Results

Higher MOR availability in the amygdala was associated with motivation to smoke to relieve negative affect. However, MOR availability was unrelated to changes in affect after smoking either cigarette.

Conclusions

Increased MOR availability in amygdala may underlie the motivation to smoke for negative affective relief. These results are consistent with previous data highlighting the role of MOR neurotransmission in smoking behavior.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the following individuals for their contributions to the study: Dr. Richard Freifelder, Dr. Joel Karp, Dr. Alexander Schmitz, and Rahul Poria for [11C]carfentanil synthesis; Dr. Daniel Pryma and Dr. Rodolfo Perini for serving as PET center injectors; and Dr. Janet Reddin and PET center technologists for PET acquisition and preprocessing at the PET center. This research was supported by National Institute on Drug Abuse Grants R21-DA027066 (to C.L. and J.A.B.) and U01-DA020830 (to C.L.), National Cancer Institute Grant P50-CA143187 (to C.L. and J.A.B.), and a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. C.L. has served as a consultant for and/or received research support from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Novartis, and GlaxoSmithKline. R.R. has received research support from Pfizer. This research was not supported by industry funds. The authors declare that they have full control of all primary data and they agree to allow the journal to review their data if requested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Mary Falcone & Julie A. Blendy

  2. Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Nicotine Addiction, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 4100, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Mary Falcone, Allison B. Gold, E. Paul Wileyto, Riju Ray & Caryn Lerman

  3. Brain Behavior Laboratory, Neuropsychiatry Department, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Kosha Ruparel

  4. Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine and Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA

    Andrew Newberg

  5. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Jacob Dubroff

  6. Medical Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA

    Jean Logan

  7. Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Jon-Kar Zubieta

Authors
  1. Mary Falcone
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  2. Allison B. Gold
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  3. E. Paul Wileyto
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  6. Andrew Newberg
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  8. Jean Logan
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  9. Jon-Kar Zubieta
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  10. Julie A. Blendy
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  11. Caryn Lerman
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Correspondence to Caryn Lerman.

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Falcone, M., Gold, A.B., Wileyto, E.P. et al. μ-Opioid receptor availability in the amygdala is associated with smoking for negative affect relief. Psychopharmacology 222, 701–708 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-012-2673-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-012-2673-5

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