Nora D. Volkow

TL;DR: This special issue has attempted to bring together different yet complementary research strategies whose ultimate goal is to better understand how genes contribute to SUD, including their effects on the various layers that determine whether and how the disease of addiction will be manifested.

TL;DR: Findings suggest that LSG-induced weight-loss may be related to reductions in ghrelin, possibly leading to decreased food craving and hypothetically reducing DLPFC response to the HC food cues.

TL;DR: The application of PET technology to the understanding of schizophrenic disorders and substance abuse is reviewed.

TL;DR: In this paper, a PET imaging with [11C]carfentanil was used to test the hypotheses that acute cigarette smoking increases release of endogenous opioids in the human brain and that smokers have an upregulation of mu opioid receptors (MORs) when compared to nonsmokers.

TL;DR: Even though the slower clearance of cocaethylene could lead to longer tissue exposures and potentially accentuated or different physiological effects relative to cocaine, the difference between the 2 drugs is not large and it is more likely that the direct actions of cocaine and alcohol on some organs, rather than coca methylene, account for this enhanced toxicity.