Molecular imaging of altered dopamine transmission in patients with schizophrenia

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Using positron emission tomography (PET) and different radioligands, we aimed to elucidate altered dopamine transmission in patients with schizophrenia. Using two different radioligands, [^<11>C]NNC112 and [^<11>C]SCH23390, we measured dopamine D1 receptor binding in patients with chronic schizophrenia and healthy controls. In patients with schizophrenia, the binding potentials of both ligands were significantly lower in the striatum and cortical regions than those of healthy controls. We measured presynaptic dopamine synthesis using PET with L-[β-^<11>C]DOPA and found that patients with schizophrenia showed higher dopamine synthesis in the left caudate nucleus, and that dopaminergic transmission in the thalamus and right temporal cortex might be implicated in the expression of symptoms in schizophrenia. Finally, we performed PET using [^<11>C]PE2I in patients with schizophrenia and healthy subjects to investigate dopamine transporter binding. Dopamine transporter binding in the thalamus of patients with schizophrenia was significantly higher than in control subjects. There were significant correlations between dopamine transporter binding and clinical symptom scores suggesting that altered dopamine transporter binding in the thalamus might be related to the pathophysiology and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia.