Smoking-induced Dopamine Release: a [11C]-(+)-PHNO PET Study in Humans

This study will evaluate effects of smoking on the dopaminergic system by using PET tomography with new radioligand, \[11C\]-(+)-PHNO. Our primary hypothesis is that smoking a cigarette will produce dopamine release and this release can be measured using PET imaging and the \[11C\]-(+)-PHNO radiotracer. The secondary hypothesis is that this smoking induced dopamine release will be correlated with subjective craving and anxiety ratings.