Extrastriatal dopamine D_2/3 receptors and cortical grey matter volumes in antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia patients before and after initial antipsychotic treatment

TY - JOUR

T1 - Extrastriatal dopamine D2/3 receptors and cortical grey matter volumes in antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia patients before and after initial antipsychotic treatment

AU - Nørbak-Emig, Henrik

AU - Pinborg, Lars Hageman

AU - Raghava, Jayachandra Mitta

AU - Svarer, Claus

AU - Baaré, William Frans Christian

AU - Allerup, Peter

AU - Friberg, Lars

AU - Rostrup, Egill

AU - Glenthøj, Birte Yding

AU - Ebdrup, Bjørn Hylsebeck

PY - 2017/10/3

Y1 - 2017/10/3

N2 - OBJECTIVES: Long-term dopamine D2/3 receptor blockade, common to all antipsychotics, may underlie progressive brain volume changes observed in patients with chronic schizophrenia. In the present study, we examined associations between cortical volume changes and extrastriatal dopamine D2/3 receptor binding potentials (BPND) in first-episode schizophrenia patents at baseline and after antipsychotic treatment.METHODS: Twenty-two initially antipsychotic-naïve patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), [(123)I]epidepride single-photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT), and psychopathology assessments before and after 3 months of treatment with either risperidone (N = 13) or zuclopenthixol (N = 9). Twenty healthy controls matched on age, gender and parental socioeconomic status underwent baseline MRI and SPECT.RESULTS: Neither extrastriatal D2/3 receptor BPND at baseline, nor blockade at follow-up, was related to regional cortical volume changes. In post-hoc analyses excluding three patients with cannabis use we found that higher D2/3 receptor occupancy was significantly associated with an increase in right frontal grey matter volume.CONCLUSIONS: The present data do not support an association between extrastriatal D2/3 receptor blockade and extrastriatal grey matter loss in the early phases of schizophrenia. Although inconclusive, our exclusion of patients tested positive for cannabis use speaks to keeping attention to potential confounding factors in imaging studies.

AB - OBJECTIVES: Long-term dopamine D2/3 receptor blockade, common to all antipsychotics, may underlie progressive brain volume changes observed in patients with chronic schizophrenia. In the present study, we examined associations between cortical volume changes and extrastriatal dopamine D2/3 receptor binding potentials (BPND) in first-episode schizophrenia patents at baseline and after antipsychotic treatment.METHODS: Twenty-two initially antipsychotic-naïve patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), [(123)I]epidepride single-photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT), and psychopathology assessments before and after 3 months of treatment with either risperidone (N = 13) or zuclopenthixol (N = 9). Twenty healthy controls matched on age, gender and parental socioeconomic status underwent baseline MRI and SPECT.RESULTS: Neither extrastriatal D2/3 receptor BPND at baseline, nor blockade at follow-up, was related to regional cortical volume changes. In post-hoc analyses excluding three patients with cannabis use we found that higher D2/3 receptor occupancy was significantly associated with an increase in right frontal grey matter volume.CONCLUSIONS: The present data do not support an association between extrastriatal D2/3 receptor blockade and extrastriatal grey matter loss in the early phases of schizophrenia. Although inconclusive, our exclusion of patients tested positive for cannabis use speaks to keeping attention to potential confounding factors in imaging studies.

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1080/15622975.2016.1237042

DO - 10.1080/15622975.2016.1237042

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 27782768

SN - 1562-2975

VL - 18

SP - 539

EP - 549

JO - World Journal of Biological Psychiatry

JF - World Journal of Biological Psychiatry

IS - 7

ER -