Enhanced Striatal Dopamine Release to Expectation of Alcohol: A Potential Risk Factor for Alcohol Use Disorder

We used positron emission tomography imaging with [11C]raclopride to examine the effects of consumption of alcohol or placebo beverage by participants with alcohol use disorder (AUD) compared with healthy participants with and without family history of AUD. We sought to assess dopamine release following alcohol exposure in relation to AUD risk. Three groups were enrolled: participants with AUD (n = 15) and healthy participants with family...