Fewer dopamine transporter receptors in the prefrontal cortex of cocaine users

The authors investigated dopamine transporter receptor binding in the post-mortem prefrontal cortex of 13 subjects with histories of cocaine use who had positive blood screens for cocaine at autopsy and 13 comparison subjects with no history of cocaine use and negative blood screens for cocaine at autopsy. Synaptosomes from pulverized prefrontal cortex were assayed with [³H]GBR 12935 for dopamine transporter receptor. There was a 38% decrease in number of binding sites but no change in affinity constants in the cocaine users.