2022
Differences in the association between kappa opioid receptors and pain among Black and White adults with alcohol use disorders
de Laat B, Nabulsi N, Huang Y, O'Malley SS, Morris ED, Krishnan‐Sarin S. Differences in the association between kappa opioid receptors and pain among Black and White adults with alcohol use disorders. Alcohol Clinical And Experimental Research 2022, 46: 1348-1357. PMID: 35633151, DOI: 10.1111/acer.14879.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCold pressor testAlcohol use disorderKappa-opioid receptorsPositron emission tomographyOpioid receptorsNaltrexone effectsUse disordersWhite participantsOpioid antagonist naltrexoneBlack participantsKOR involvementNaltrexone treatmentPain recoveryAntagonist naltrexoneOpioid systemNaltrexoneAlcohol cravingPainWhite adultsUnderlying biological basisEmission tomographyWhite individualsMore alcoholTreatmentPreliminary findings
2021
Lower prefrontal cortical synaptic vesicle binding in cocaine use disorder: An exploratory 11C‐UCB‐J positron emission tomography study in humans
Angarita GA, Worhunsky PD, Naganawa M, Toyonaga T, Nabulsi NB, Li C, Esterlis I, Skosnik PD, Radhakrishnan R, Pittman B, Gueorguieva R, Potenza MN, Finnema SJ, Huang Y, Carson RE, Malison RT. Lower prefrontal cortical synaptic vesicle binding in cocaine use disorder: An exploratory 11C‐UCB‐J positron emission tomography study in humans. Addiction Biology 2021, 27: e13123. PMID: 34852401, PMCID: PMC8891080, DOI: 10.1111/adb.13123.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCocaine use disorderAnterior cingulate cortexRecent cocaine useSynaptic densityMedial orbitofrontal cortexPrefrontal cortexCocaine useOrbitofrontal cortexUse disordersVentromedial prefrontal cortexPositron emission tomography scanPositron emission tomography studyEmission tomography scanSynaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2AHealthy control subjectsVolume of distributionEmission tomography studiesAcute cocaineControl subjectsTomography scanCocaine exposurePreclinical studiesHC subjectsDendritic spinesLifetime cocaine use
2020
Preliminary in vivo evidence of lower hippocampal synaptic density in cannabis use disorder
D’Souza D, Radhakrishnan R, Naganawa M, Ganesh S, Nabulsi N, Najafzadeh S, Ropchan J, Ranganathan M, Cortes-Briones J, Huang Y, Carson RE, Skosnik P. Preliminary in vivo evidence of lower hippocampal synaptic density in cannabis use disorder. Molecular Psychiatry 2020, 26: 3192-3200. PMID: 32973170, DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-00891-4.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHippocampal synaptic densityCannabis use disorderHealthy controlsSynaptic densityPositron emission tomographyUse disordersDSM-5 cannabis use disorderVivo evidenceAdministration of cannabinoidsHippocampal synaptic integrityVerbal memory taskSynaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2AHuman cannabis usersEffects of cannabisWarrants further studyPlasma input functionMemory taskCentrum semiovaleAdult rodentsOne-tissue compartment modelSynaptic integrityHippocampal functionCannabis misuseArterial samplingEmission tomographyLongitudinal imaging of metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors during early and extended alcohol abstinence
Hillmer AT, Angarita GA, Esterlis I, Anderson JM, Nabulsi N, Lim K, Ropchan J, Carson RE, Krystal JH, Malley S, Cosgrove KP. Longitudinal imaging of metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors during early and extended alcohol abstinence. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020, 46: 380-385. PMID: 32919411, PMCID: PMC7852514, DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00856-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMetabotropic glutamate 5 receptorsSmoking statusAlcohol abstinenceEarly abstinenceMGlu5 receptor negative allosteric modulatorReceptor negative allosteric modulatorChronic alcohol useCortical brain regionsAlcohol use disorderEmission Tomography ImagingPositron emission tomography (PET) imagingNegative allosteric modulatorsDSM-5 criteriaCue-induced reinstatementHealthy controlsPreclinical literatureGlutamate systemPreclinical modelsHuman evidenceReceptor drugsPET scansUse disordersHuman studiesReceptor availabilityStudy duration
2019
Binge alcohol use is not associated with alterations in striatal dopamine receptor binding or dopamine release
Wai JM, Grassetti A, Slifstein M, Matuskey D, Nabulsi N, Ropchan J, Labaree D, Huang Y, Martinez D. Binge alcohol use is not associated with alterations in striatal dopamine receptor binding or dopamine release. Drug And Alcohol Dependence 2019, 205: 107627. PMID: 31669800, PMCID: PMC6893096, DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107627.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAlcohol use disorderPositron emission tomographyDopamine releaseBinge drinkersHealthy controlsBinge drinkingReceptor bindingUse disordersStriatal dopamine receptor bindingYoung adult binge drinkersAdult binge drinkersAlcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scoresDopamine receptor bindingFuture alcohol use disordersSubstance use disordersSignificant differencesPrevious imaging studiesOral methylphenidateRisk factorsDopamine transmissionHC subjectsAlcoholism criteriaAlcohol abuseDrinking historySignificant associationThe Kappa Opioid Receptor Is Associated With Naltrexone-Induced Reduction of Drinking and Craving
de Laat B, Goldberg A, Shi J, Tetrault JM, Nabulsi N, Zheng MQ, Najafzadeh S, Gao H, Kapinos M, Ropchan J, O'Malley SS, Huang Y, Morris ED, Krishnan-Sarin S. The Kappa Opioid Receptor Is Associated With Naltrexone-Induced Reduction of Drinking and Craving. Biological Psychiatry 2019, 86: 864-871. PMID: 31399255, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.05.021.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsKappa-opioid receptorsAlcohol use disorderOpioid receptorsUse disordersNonselective opioid receptor antagonistModest clinical effectsEfficacy of naltrexoneOpioid receptor antagonistDSM-IV criteriaPositron emission tomographyAlcohol Urge QuestionnaireNaltrexone initiationNaltrexone therapyClinical effectsReceptor antagonistTherapeutic effectCingulate cortexDrinking paradigmHeavy drinkersBilateral insulaNaltrexoneAlcohol dependenceBrain regionsEmission tomographyPrefrontal cortex