Assessment of dopamine receptor densities in the human brain with carbon-11-labeled N-methylspiperone

We describe the use of carbon-11-labeled 3-N-methylspiperone, a ligand that preferentially binds to dopamine receptors in vivo, to image the receptors by positron emission tomography scanning in baboons and, for the first time, in a human. The method has now been used in 58 humans for noninvasive assessment of the state of brain dopamine receptors under normal and pathological conditions.