In a related preliminary study, 17 smokers underwent the same FDG–PET craving versus neutral cue protocol as in the second study of craving listed above (Brody et al. 2002) after treatment with a standard course of bupropion HCl (tapered up to 150 mg orally twice a day for a mean of 5.6 weeks). This group of treated subjects had a significant reduction in smoking levels from pre- to post-treatment (mean 27.1 down to 3.7 cigarettes per day). These treated smokers also had reduced cigarette cue-induced craving and diminished ACC activation when presented with cigarette-related cues, compared to untreated smokers (Brody et al. 2004a). This diminished ACC activation was due to elevated baseline-normalized ACC activity in treated smokers, giving an indication that bupropion treatment of smokers increases resting ACC metabolism.
