SynthesisNeuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology2019
Effects of sedative drug use on the dopamine system: a systematic review and meta-analysis of in vivo neuroimaging studies.
Synthesis in Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- Balancing risks and benefits of cannabis use: umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials and observational studies.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2023Pooled it
- Effects of clozapine treatment on the improvement of substance use disorders other than nicotine in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2023Pooled it
- Systematic review and rationale of using psychedelics in the treatment of cannabis use disorder.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Stressful life events are associated with striatal dopamine receptor availability in alcohol dependence.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2019Trial
- Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between opioid exposure and dopaminergic measures in humans assessed by nuclear medicine imaging.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Article
- Dopamine D2S/D2L Receptor Regulation of Alcohol-Induced Reward and Signalling.Addiction biology · 2025Article
- The Dopamine System in Mediating Alcohol Effects in Humans.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2025Review
- The Roles of Endogenous D2R Dopamine and μ-opioid Receptors of the Brain in Alcohol use Disorder.Current medicinal chemistry · 2024Review
- Intermittent access to oxycodone decreases dopamine uptake in the nucleus accumbens core during abstinence.Addiction biology · 2022Article
- Long-term alcohol consumption alters dorsal striatal dopamine release and regulation by D2 dopamine receptors in rhesus macaques.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2021Article
- Neuroimaging the Neuropathogenesis of HIV.Current HIV/AIDS reports · 2021Review
- Dopamine transporter SPECT imaging in Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonian disordersTurkish journal of medical sciences · 2021Review
- Sex/gender differences in brain function and structure in alcohol use: A narrative review of neuroimaging findings over the last 10 years.Journal of neuroscience research · 2021Review
- Striatal Dopamine and Reward Prediction Error Signaling in Unmedicated Schizophrenia Patients.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2020Article
- A wireless, implantable optoelectrochemical probe for optogenetic stimulation and dopamine detection.Microsystems & nanoengineering · 2020Article
- Vapor Cannabis Exposure Promotes Genetic Plasticity in the Rat Hypothalamus.Scientific reports · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Use of alcohol, cannabis and opioids is highly prevalent and is associated with global disease burden and high economic costs. The exact pathophysiology of abuse or addiction associated with these sedative substances is not completely understood, but previous research implicates the important role of the striatal dopamine system in the addiction process. Multiple studies investigated changes in the striatal dopamine systems of users of sedative substances, but currently these results are very heterogeneous. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of in vivo neuroimaging studies investigating dopaminergic alterations in the striatum of users of alcohol, opioids or cannabis. Analyses for each substance were conducted separately for the availability of D2/D3 dopamine receptors, dopamine transporters and dopamine synthesis capacity. In total, 723 substance users and 752 healthy controls were included. The results indicated a significant lower striatal D2/D3 receptor availability in alcohol users compared to controls (g = 0.46) but no difference in dopamine transporter availability or dopamine synthesis capacity. Our analysis indicated that changes of dopamine receptors and transporters are moderated by the duration of abstinence. Comparing opioid users with controls revealed a significant lower D2/D3 receptor availability (g = 1.17) and a significantly lower transporter availability (g = 1.55) in opioid users. For cannabis users, there was no significant difference in receptor availability compared to controls and too few studies provided information on dopamine transporter availability or synthesis capacity. Our analysis provides strong evidence for a central role of the striatal dopamine system in use of alcohol or opioids. Further studies are needed to clarify the impact of the dopamine system in cannabis users.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.