PET Imaging of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

Study Summary

Background: \- Central nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are the primary target for the action of nicotine. In addition to being involved in tobacco dependence, they are also involved in a variety of brain disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Researchers are interested in developing better ways to study the action of nAChRs to improve treatments for smoking cessation and other problems affected by these receptors. These new study methods may involve different radiotracers, which are drugs that can help show brain activity during positron emission tomography (PET) scanning. Objectives: \- To evaluate the feasibility of using a radiotracer, 2-\[18F\]F-A-85380, in PET scanning of the brain. Eligibility: \- Healthy volunteers between 21 and 45 years of age who do not use tobacco. Design: * Participants will be asked to avoid consuming alcohol or using a number of over-the-counter medications, including antihistamines, cough medicines, and nasal decongestants, for 5 days before the study day. Participants provide urine and breath samples at the start of the study to be tested for chemicals that may interfere with the study. * Participants will visit the clinical center the morning of the day before the scanning session to provide blood and urine samples as required. Participants will return and be admitted for an overnight stay later that afternoon or evening. * On the day of the study, participants will receive a single dose of the radiotracer 2-\[18F\]F-A-85380, and will have a series of PET scans over the next 7 hours and provide blood samples during that time. Participants will spend that night at the clinical center and leave on the morning after the end of the study. * Participants will return for follow-up visits 2 weeks and 1 month after the end of the study.

Conditions Studied

Study Locations (1)