Craving for alcohol and dopamine receptor sensitivity in alcohol-dependent men and control subjects

Detoxified alcohol-dependent men and control subjects were repetitively exposed by sight and smell to either a neutral cue (tea) or an alcohol-related cue (their favourite alcoholic beverage) to provoke a maximum craving response. Additionally, their dopamine receptor sensitivity was evaluated by measuring growth hormone (HGH) response to stimulation with the dopamine receptor agonist apomorphine (APO). It was hypothesized that the subjects' desire to drink (craving) is related to their dopaminergic activity. In both groups, craving increased in the presence of the alcohol stimulus with significantly higher craving scores in alcoholics than in controls. However, in none of the groups and at no cue exposure did the craving response correlate with the individuals' dopaminergic activity as reflected by HGH release. Therefore, this study cannot add support to the hypothesis that craving for alcohol is associated with dopamine receptor sensitivity in abstinent alcoholics or healthy control subjects.