Quantitation of Human Cerebral Nicotinie Receptors With 2[18F]FA-85380 and PET Healthy Non-smokers and Ex-Smokers and in Heavy and Light Situational Smokers

Completed

Conditions studied: Nicotine Addiction

In brief

Background: \- Central nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are primary targets for the action of nicotine. In addition to being involved in tobacco dependence, they are also involved in a variety of brain disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Researchers are interested in developing better ways to study the action of nAChRs to improve treatments for smoking cessation and other problems affected by these receptors. These new study methods may involve different approaches to positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, which can show brain activity related to nAChRs. Objectives: \- To evaluate appropriate and useful doses of radiotracers used in PET scanning of nAChRs in the brains of nonsmokers/former smokers, light smokers, and heavy smokers. Eligibility: \- Individuals between 18 and 50 years of age who fall into one of the following groups: (1) nonsmokers or former smokers who have not smoked for the past 2 years, (2) light/situational smokers, or (3) heavy smokers (at least 15 cigarettes/day for the past 2 years). Design: * Each participant will undergo up to three PET studies, given approximately1 month apart. Each study will take approximately 8 hours to complete. * Participants will provide urine and breath samples before the study and at the start of the study, which will be tested for chemicals that may interfere with the study. * Depending on the study, some of the smoking participants may receive a nicotine patch to wear during the PET scan. * On the day of the study, participants will receive a dose of a radiotracer (a drug used in PET scanning) given either as a single injection or as an injection followed by a continuous infusion, and will have a series of PET scans over the next 7 hours and provide blood samples during that time. * Participants will return for a follow-up visit 1 month after the end of the study.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT01038245

Run by

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

People needed

72

Starts

2003-07-08

Expected to finish

2011-11-18

Last updated by the study team

2017-07-02

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 50. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may not qualify if…

• Weight: Anyone weighing more than 300 lbs is excluded from the study.
• Psychiatric disease: DSM-IV criteria will be used (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). No subject with a current axis I diagnosis will be allowed. No subject with known claustrophobia will be allowed.
• History of Drug Abuse: Volunteers reporting current or having a significant history of illicit drug abuse (single illicit substance use of more than 30 times in a lifetime for any given substance, except marijuana) will be excluded from the study. However, if the use was greater than 10 times in a lifetime, it must have occurred more than 10 years before enrollment in this protocol. Subjects may use moderate amounts of alcohol and caffeine and smoke an occasional marijuana cigarette. Moderate alcohol use will be defined as less than fourteen drinks of liquor (1.5 oz) or the equivalent beer (12 oz) or wine (5 oz) per week. Moderate caffeine use will be defined as less than 500 mg of caffeine per day, where 100 mg is equivalent to 1 serving of coffee (5 oz serving), 2.5 servings (12 oz serving) of caffeinated soft drinks, or 2.5 servings of tea (5 oz serving). Occasional marijuana use will be defined as less than or equal to two marijuana cigarettes/month.
• Current Medication Use: Volunteers may not currently use chronic (daily or for more than 10/14 days in the last month) prescription or over the counter medications, (including, but not limited to, anti-hypertensive, anti-allergy, pain).
• CNS disease: History of known structural brain abnormalities (e.g., neoplasm, subarachnoid cysts), cerebrovascular disease, infectious disease (e.g., abscess), history of head trauma (defined as documented loss of consciousness > 5 min or injury requiring hospitalization), history of seizures as an adult, sleep apnea.
• Cardiovascular, pulmonary, or systemic disease: Repeated (measured on three separate occasions) diastolic blood pressure > 90 mm Hg, or systolic blood pressure > 150 mm Hg, known arrhythmia, symptomatic or known coronary artery disease; history of endocarditis, cerebral embolism, obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, active tuberculosis, known endocrine disease (derangements in adrenal, thyroid, bone or reproductive function) known chronic renal or hepatic dysfunction, known HIV seropositive, known current autoimmune disease involving the CNS, type I diabetes mellitus, current gastrointestinal disease, gastritis or ulcers.
• Special considerations for female subjects. Female participants who are currently pregnant or nursing will not be allowed to participate in this study because of potential damage to the fetus or baby from the radiation. Female subjects will be given a serum pregnancy test (quantitative beta HCG) within 24 hours of each PET study.
• Radiation exposure: Any subject who has participated in any research studies in which he/she received a radiation exposure that would result in combination with the present study, in a total effective radiation exposure (from research studies) exceeding 3.0 rem in a 13-week period or 5.0 rem in a year.
• Lack of bilateral arterial patency: Evidence of inadequate patency of radial and lunar arteries, determined by either Doppler flow measurements or a positive Allen's test, is an exclusionary criterion for insertion of an arterial catheter.
• Women who are pregnant or lactating and children under the age of 18 will be excluded to avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation to these populations.
• Presence in body of metallic implants or materials that could be moved by the magnet of the MRI scanner: pacemakers, surgical implants, aneurysm clips, dental braces, bullet(s) or other metallic materials.
• Miscellaneous exclusionary criteria: Body mass index less than 19 or greater than 30. Hematocrit < 39.0 for males or < 36.0 for females.
• Novocain allergy.

Where it is running

• National Institute on Drug Abuse, Biomedical Research Center (BRC) — Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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