Distribution of carbon-11 labeled methamphetamine and the effect of its chronic administration in mice

[11C]Methamphetamine, a psychotropic agent, was synthesized by N-methylation of amphetamine with [11C]CH3 I in hopes that it could be applied in the near future to assist positron emission tomography (PET) in the imaging of its distribution in the human brain. The regional distribution of [11C]methamphetamine was investigated in the mice brain at various intervals after an intravenous (i.v.) injection. Radioactivity was higher in the hypothalamus, cortex, striatum and hippocampus. Furthermore, in chronically administered mice, the uptake of [11C]methamphetamine was higher in the striatum than those in other regions. The regional differences in the distribution of methamphetamine in the mice brain may enable the imaging of its distribution by PET using [11C]methamphetamine.