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Long-term stability of measuring D(2) receptors in schizophrenia patients treated with antipsychotics
Hiroyuki Uchida1, Ariel Graff-Guerrero, Benoit H Mulsant
1PET Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M5T 1R8.
Background:
While antipsychotic-free schizophrenia patients showed a high degree of within-subject variability in dopamine D(2) receptor density over 6-24 months, no study has examined the long-term stability of D(2) receptor measures in medicated patients.
Methods:
Four schizophrenia patients receiving a stable dose of risperidone underwent [(11)C]raclopride positron emission tomography scans on two occasions 5-14 months apart.
Results:
Plasma risperidone levels were found to be consistent between scans, and consistencies of nondisplaceable D(2) binding potential and D(2) occupancy were good.
Conclusions:
The finding supports the validity of quantification of D(2) receptor binding in longitudinal PET studies of medicated patients with schizophrenia.
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