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Extrastriatal dopamine D2/3 receptor density and distribution in drug-naive schizophrenic patients

Molecular Psychiatry volume 8, pages 453–455 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Several lines of studies have suggested the importance of cortical dopamine (DA) transmission in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The putative alteration of striatal D2 receptor density in schizophrenia has been studied intensely, although extrastriatal DA activity may be more relevant for behavioral symptoms. The aim of this study was to explore extrastriatal D2/3 density in drug-naive schizophrenic patients. We studied the extrastriatal D2/3 receptor binding with a novel high-affinity single-photon emission tomography ligand epidepride in seven drug-naive schizophrenic patients and seven matched controls. The symptoms were rated with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia. The findings indicated an extremely low D2/3 receptor binding among patients in temporal cortex in both hemispheres when compared with controls (effect size 2.0–2.3), and the D2/3 levels had negative correlations with general psychopathological (r from −0.86 to −0.90) and negative (r from −0.37 to −0.55) schizophrenic symptoms. These results support the previous hypothesis on dysfunction of mesocortical DA function behind the cognitive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

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Acknowledgements

The study was supported by funding of Annual EVO Financing (Special government subsidies, Kuopio University Hospital) and by the grant from the Foundation for Psychiatric Research, Finland. We thank Pirjo Halonen, MSc, for statistical advice and Aija Räsänen for secretarial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland

    H Tuppurainen & H Viinamäki

  2. Department of Clinical Physiology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland

    J Kuikka, M Husso-Saastamoinen & K Bergström

  3. Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Kuopio, Niuvanniemi Hospital, Kuopio, Finland

    J Tiihonen

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki, Finland

    J Tiihonen

Authors
  1. H Tuppurainen
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  2. J Kuikka
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  3. H Viinamäki
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  4. M Husso-Saastamoinen
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  5. K Bergström
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  6. J Tiihonen
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Correspondence to J Tiihonen.

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Tuppurainen, H., Kuikka, J., Viinamäki, H. et al. Extrastriatal dopamine D2/3 receptor density and distribution in drug-naive schizophrenic patients. Mol Psychiatry 8, 453–455 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001334

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