Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2026

A Conditioned Place Preference Protocol for Measuring Incubation of Craving in Rats
Published on: November 6, 2018
Brain opioid receptor binding in early abstinence from alcohol dependence and relationship to craving: an
Tim M Williams1, Simon J C Davies, Lindsay G Taylor
1Psychopharmacology Unit, Dorothy Hodgkin Building, University of Bristol, Whitson Street, Bristol, UK. tim.williams@bristol.ac.uk
Abstract:
The importance of the opioid receptor system in substance dependence is increasingly recognised. We used PET with the non-selective tracer [11C]diprenorphine to examine opioid receptor binding in early abstinence from alcohol dependence and the relationship to craving. We recruited 11 alcohol dependent patients and 13 controls. Subjects underwent one [11C]diprenorphine PET scan in early abstinence from dependent alcohol use (approximately 2 weeks) and 2 months later if continuously abstinent. Global and regional [11C]diprenorphine volumes of distribution (VD) were increased in alcohol dependent patients compared with controls but did not reach significance. We demonstrated a correlation between global and regional [11C]diprenorphine VD and craving in alcohol dependent patients which persisted in the anterior cingulate cortex into extended abstinence. This confirms previous work showing increased opioid receptor availability in early abstinence from substances of abuse and correlation with craving suggesting that the opioid system plays a fundamental role in this phase of addiction.
Related Concept Videos
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Opioid Receptors: Overview
Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids
Analgesia and Pain Management
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Drug Dependence

