Laboratory for Neuroimaging (LNI)

Mission Statement:

The Laboratory of Neuroimaging conducts research to investigate physiological and neurochemical mechanisms underlying addiction and to investigate the mechanisms of action of drugs of abuse. It uses imaging technologies to integrate preclinical and clinical research in the investigation of addiction. The following are specific aims for this laboratory:

To characterize the molecular changes underlying drug addiction and their relationship to brain function, treatment and vulnerability.
To understand the relationship of drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to the reinforcing effects of drug of abuse.
To investigate the role of genes, considered to be relevant in addiction, in brain function and neurochemistry.

Staff:

Name Title E-Mail Phone

Nora D. Volkow, MD Chief** nvolkow@mail.nih.gov 301.443.6480

Yeming [Jim] Ma, PhD
Staff Scientist
mayeming@nih.gov 631.344.5641

Frank W. Telang, MD Staff Clinician telangf@mail.nih.gov 631.344.3169

Panayotis [Peter] K. Thanos, PhD
Staff Scientist
thanos@bnl.gov 631.344.7364

Pat Parks Administrative Lab Manager pparks@mail.nih.gov 301.443.1275

*Except for Dr. Volkow and Ms. Parks, lab staff are located at Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York
**Dr. Volkow is also Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH

SEARCH BY: EMPLOYEE NAME, DIVISION/BRANCH, BUILDING OR VIEW ALL NIAAA

Selected Publications:

MK Sammi, JW Pan, FW Telang, D Schulein, PE Molina, ND Volkow, CS Springer, HP Hetherington: Measurement of Human Brain Ethanol T(2) by Spectroscopic Imaging at 4T. Magn Reson Med 2000;44(1):35-40. [PDF]

Volkow ND, Wang GJ, Maynard L, Fowler JS, Jayne B, Telang F, Logan J, Ding YS, Gatley SJ, Hitzemann R, Wong C, Pappas N: Effects of alcohol detoxification on dopamine D2 receptors in alcoholics: a preliminary study. Psychiatry Res 2002;116(3):163-72.

Volkow ND, Telang F et al: High Dopamine D2 Receptors in Unaffected Members of Alcoholic Families: Possible Protective Factors. Arch Gen Psychiatry (submitted 2005)

Thanos PK, Katana JM, Ashby CR Jr, Michaelides M, Gardner EL, Heidbreder CA, Volkow ND: The selective dopamine D3 receptor antagonist SB-277011-A attenuates ethanol consumption in ethanol preferring (P) and non-preferring (NP) rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2005;81(1):190-7. [PDF]

Thanos PK, Rivera SN, Weaver K, Grandy DK, Rubinstein M, Umegaki H, Wang GJ, Hitzemann R, Volkow ND: Dopamine D2R DNA transfer in dopamine D2 receptor-deficient mice: effects on ethanol drinking. Life Sci 2005;77(2):130-9. [PDF]

Thanos PK, Taintor NB, Rivera SN, Umegaki H, Ikari H, Roth G, Ingram DK, Hitzemann R, Fowler JS, Gatley SJ, Wang GJ, Volkow ND: DRD2 gene transfer into the nucleus accumbens core of the alcohol preferring and nonpreferring rats attenuates alcohol drinking. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2004;28(5):720-8.

Thanos PK, Taintor NB, Alexoff D, Vaska P, Logan J, Grandy DK, Fang Y, Lee JH, Fowler JS, Volkow ND, Rubinstein M: In vivo comparative imaging of dopamine D2 knockout and wild-type mice with (11)C-raclopride and microPET. J Nucl Med 2002;43(11):1570-7. [PDF]

Thanos PK, Volkow ND, Freimuth P, Umegaki H, Ikari H, Roth G, Ingram DK, Hitzemann R: Overexpression of dopamine D2 receptors reduces alcohol self-administration. J Neurochem 2001;78(5):1094-103

Alcohol publications can also be found using ETOH

FIND PUBLICATIONS USING PubMed
SAMPLE Entrez PubMed Search Instructions: Search [PUBMED] for [Thanos P] "click" [GO]

FIND ANNUAL REPORT PROJECTS USING NIDB Resources
SAMPLE Search Instructions: Under "Option 1" click box beside each "Year" of interest, then click "Free Text Search" - in BOX under "Enter some Keywords", type Volkow N or Thanos P

NIH Research and Training Opportunities

Updated: October 2005