Nicotine Vaccination and Nicotinic Receptor Occupancy

This is a molecular imaging research study designed to examine how much nicotine gets into the brain before and after vaccination with NicVAX, a nicotine vaccine developed by Nabi Biopharmaceuticals. NicVAX (Nicotine Conjugate Vaccine) is an investigational vaccine designed as an aid to smoking cessation and long-term abstinence, as well as an aid to prevent relapses of a treated smoker. In this project we want to understand the degree to which NicVAX administration changes how much nicotine enters the brain in smokers.