Primate Brain Scans, Cocaine

These brain scans were made at Brookhaven National Laboratory's Positron Emission Tomography facility, as part of the study of GVG. They are an average of the brain scans from six different baboons.

They show the concentration of available dopamine receptors on a scale that goes from blue (low) to red (high). More dopamine receptors available means less dopamine in the brain.

So, it is clear that cocaine causes dopamine levels to rise sharply in certain areas of the brain, while GVG mostly prevents this effect if given before a dose of cocaine. This blocking of cocaine's usual effect is what makes GVG so promising for fighting addiction.
 

Last Modified: January 31, 2008

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE’s Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

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