Effects of acute combined serotonin and dopamine depletion on cue-induced drinking intention/desire and cognitive function in patients with alcohol dependence.

Background: Alcohol cues can precipitate the desire to drink and cause relapse in recovering alcohol-dependent patients. Serotonin and dopamine may play a role in alcohol cue-induced craving. Acute combined tryptophan (Trp), tyrosine (Tyr), and phenylalanine (Phe) depletion (CMD) in the diet attenuates the synthesis of serotonin and dopamine in the human brain.

Long-term treatment with aripiprazole on the waking and postprandial urges to smoke in Chinese heavy smokers.

The central dopaminergic system plays a critical role in the reinforcing effects of nicotine, which are key determinants in the urge to smoke. Previous study has demonstrated that immediate administration of 10-mg aripiprazole significantly decreased various subjective responses to smoking. The present study investigated whether 2-week treatment with 10-mg aripiprazole could attenuate waking and postprandial urges to smoke in Chinese male and female heavy smokers.

Family support and employment as predictors of smoking cessation success: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of nicotine sublingual tablets in chinese smokers.

Background: The purpose of this study is to assess social support and demographic factors that influence the success of smoking cessation aided with sublingual nicotine tablets in a Han Chinese population.

Methods: We randomly allocated 211 Beijing residents who smoked >or= 10 cigarettes a day for at least 1 year into a double-blind, placebo-controlled 3-month randomized smoking cessation trial using sublingual nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Self-reports of sustained smoking cessation were verified during the study by expired carbon monoxide concentrations and urine-cotinine concentrations.

Subjective, cognitive/psychomotor, and physiological effects of aripiprazole in Chinese light and heavy smokers.

Background: Drug addiction researchers have begun to study dopamine partial agonists as potential therapeutic agents. The partial dopamine D(2) receptor agonist aripiprazole has recently been tested as a treatment for stimulant and alcohol dependence in both animal and clinical studies.

Methods: A randomized and placebo-controlled pilot clinical study was conducted in a population of Chinese light and heavy smokers to assess the effect of aripiprazole on various responses to smoking.