Exploring regulation and function of dopamine D3 receptors in alcohol use disorder. A PET [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO study

Preclinical studies support an important role of dopamine D3 receptors (DRD3s) in alcohol use disorder (AUD). In animals, voluntary alcohol consumption increases DRD3 expression, and pharmacological blockade of DRD3s attenuates alcohol self-administration and reinstatement of alcohol seeking. However, these findings have yet to be translated in humans. This study used positron emission tomography (PET) and [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO to compare receptor levels in several dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) and DRD3 regions of interest between AUD subjects in early abstinence (n = 17; 6.59 ± 4.14 days of abstinence) and healthy controls (n = 18). We recruited non-treatment seeking subjects meeting DSM-5 criteria for AUD. We examined the relationship between DRD2/3 levels and both alcohol craving and alcohol motivation/wanting, using a cue reactivity procedure and an intravenous alcohol self-administration (IVASA) paradigm, respectively. [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO binding levels in AUD subjects were significantly lower than binding in HCs when looking at all DRD2/3 ROIs jointly (Wilk’s Λ = .58, F(6,28) =3.33, p = 0.013, η(2)(p) = 0.42), however there were no region-specific differences. Binding values demonstrate −12.3% and −16.1% lower [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO binding in the SMST and SN respectively, though these differences did not withstand Bonferroni corrections. There was a positive association between [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO binding in the SN (almost exclusively reflective of DRD3) and alpha (lower values reflect higher alcohol demand) in the APT after Bonferroni corrections (r = 0.66, p = 0.0080). This demonstrates that AUD subjects with lower DRD3 levels in the SN exhibit increased demand for alcohol. These results replicate previous findings demonstrating reduced DRD2/3 levels while also supporting a lack of DRD3 upregulation and potential downregulation in early abstinent AUD. Furthermore, the finding that binding in the SN is associated with alcohol demand warrants further examination.