Presynaptic dopaminergic function in schizophrenia: a Positron Emission Tomographic [18F]Fluorodopa study

McGowan, Stephen, Lawrence, Andrew David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6705-2110, Sales, Tim, Quested, Digby and Grasby, Paul 2004. Presynaptic dopaminergic function in schizophrenia: a Positron Emission Tomographic [18F]Fluorodopa study. Archives of General Psychiatry 61 (2) , pp. 134-142. 10.1001/archpsyc.61.2.134

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Abstract

Context: The dopamine overactivity hypothesis of schizophrenia remains one of the most influential theories of the pathophysiology of the illness. Radiotracer brain imaging studies are now directly testing aspects of the overactivity hypothesis. Objective: To assess presynaptic dopaminergic function in a large cohort of patients with schizophrenia by means of [18F]fluorodopa uptake and a high-sensitivity 3-dimensional positron emission tomograph. We predicted elevations in striatal [18F]fluorodopa uptake and reductions in prefrontal cortical [18F]fluorodopa uptake in patients with schizophrenia. Design: Case-control study. Setting Research institute investigation recruiting hospital outpatients. Patients Sixteen male medicated hospital outpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia (mean age, 38 years) and 12 age-matched male volunteers free of psychiatric and neurologic illness. Intervention [18F]fluorodopa positron emission tomographic scanning. Main Outcome Measure [18F]fluorodopa uptake constant Ki measured with statistical parametric mapping and region-of-interest analyses. Results Statistical parametric mapping (P<.05 corrected) and region-of-interest analyses (P<.01) showed increased [18F]fluorodopa uptake, confined primarily to the ventral striatum in patients with schizophrenia. No reductions in prefrontal cortical [18F]fluorodopa uptake Ki were seen in the statistical parametric mapping and region-of-interest analyses, although dorsal anterior cingulate [18F]fluorodopa Ki correlated with performance on the Stroop Color-Word Test in both groups. Conclusions As in studies in unmedicated patients, presynaptic striatal dopamine dysfunction is present in medicated schizophrenic patients, adding further in vivo support for dopamine overactivity in the illness.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHRI)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Publisher:	American Medical Association
ISSN:	0003-990X
Last Modified:	17 Oct 2022 09:29
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/3350

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