Imaging addiction with PET: is insight in sight?

PET investigations of pathology underlying drug abuse, dependence and addiction have provided target mechanisms through which medications might ameliorate these conditions. This deeper understanding should facilitate the reformulation of a complex and clearly transitional nosology. Neurochemical imaging studies can identify molecular targets of abused drugs and link them to the underlying pathology associated with behaviors such as drug dependence, addiction and withdrawal. positron emission tomography (PET) is opening new avenues for the investigation of the neurochemical disturbances underlying drug abuse and addiction and the in vivo mechanisms by which medications might ameliorate these conditions. PET can identify vulnerable human populations, treatment strategies and monitor treatment efficacy. Thus, with this tool and the knowledge it provides, the potential for developing novel drugs and treatment strategies for drug addiction is now close at hand.