The effect of antipsychotics on the high-affinity state of D2 and D3 receptors: a positron emission tomography study With [11C]-(+)-PHNO.

CONTEXT: Most antipsychotics are thought to have an effect on D(2) and D(3) receptors. The development of carbon 11-labeled (+)-4-propyl-9-hydroxynaphthoxazine ([(11)C]-(+)-PHNO), the first agonist radioligand with higher affinity for D(3) than D(2) receptors, allows one to differentiate the effects of antipsychotics on high-affinity vs low-affinity sites of the D(2) receptor and on D(3) vs D(2) receptor subtypes. OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of antipsychotics (clozapine, risperidone, or olanzapine) on the high- vs high- + low-affinity sites of the D(2) and D(3) receptors by comparing the [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO and [(11)C]raclopride binding in the D(3) receptor-rich (globus pallidus and ventral striatum) and D(2) receptor-rich (caudate and putamen) regions. DESIGN: Two sequential studies with different participants and appropriate controls were performed. The first compared the occupancy produced by 3 antipsychotics as measured with [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO and [(11)C]raclopride. The second was a double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment to compare the effect of pramipexole (a D(3) receptor-preferring agonist) vs placebo on the increased [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO signal observed in the globus pallidus of patients. SETTING: Positron Emission Tomography Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-three patients with schizophrenia and 23 healthy controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Antipsychotic occupancies as measured with [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO and [(11)C]raclopride. RESULTS: The antipsychotic-treated patients showed high occupancies with both [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO and [(11)C]raclopride in the dorsal striatum, with [(11)C]raclopride occupancies about 20% higher. Most strikingly, patients did not show any occupancy with [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO in the globus pallidus as compared with normal controls or with their own scans using [(11)C]raclopride. This unblocked [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO signal was displaced by a single dose of pramipexole. CONCLUSIONS: Antipsychotics block both the high- and low-affinity states of the D(2) receptors across the brain, but antipsychotic treatment does not block the [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO signal in the D(3) receptor-rich regions, despite the ongoing D(2) receptor blockade. This [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO signal in regions such as the globus pallidus seems increased despite antipsychotic treatment and is displaceable by a D(3) receptor-preferring agonist. The radiotracer [(11)C]-(+)-PHNO and the data open up new avenues for exploring the potential therapeutic significance of the D(3) receptor in schizophrenia.

Differential effects of aripiprazole on D(2), 5-HT(2), and 5-HT(1A) receptor occupancy in patients with schizophrenia: a triple tracer PET study.

OBJECTIVE: Aripiprazole has a unique pharmacological profile that includes partial agonism at D(2) receptors, antagonism at 5-HT(2) receptors, and partial agonism at 5-HT(1A) receptors. The authors conducted a positron emission tomography (PET) study to characterize the simultaneous effects of aripiprazole at the D(2), 5-HT(2), and 5-HT(1A) receptors in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. METHOD: Twelve patients who had previously received antipsychotic treatment were randomly assigned to receive 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, or 30 mg of aripiprazole. After at least 14 days of treatment, participants underwent high-resolution PET scans using [(11)C]raclopride, [(18)F]setoperone, and [(11)C]WAY100635. RESULTS: Very high occupancy was observed at striatal D(2) receptors (average putamen, 87%; caudate, 93%; and ventral striatum, 91%), lower occupancy at 5-HT(2) receptors (54%-60%), and even lower occupancy at 5-HT(1A) receptors (16%). D(2) occupancy levels were significantly correlated with plasma drug concentrations, and even the lowest dose (10 mg) led to 85% D(2) occupancy. Extrapyramidal side effects were seen only in two of the four participants with occupancies exceeding 90%. CONCLUSIONS: Aripiprazole exhibits a unique occupancy profile as compared with other conventional and atypical antipsychotics. The threshold for response appears to be higher than 60%, extrapyramidal side effects appear to be uncommon even at occupancies that exceed the conventional extrapyramidal side effects threshold of 80%, and 5-HT(2) occupancy is lower than D(2) occupancy. Implications for aripiprazole's mechanism of action are discussed.

A PET study of dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT2 receptor occupancy in patients with schizophrenia treated with therapeutic doses of ziprasidone.

OBJECTIVE: Ziprasidone is an atypical antipsychotic drug that shows a higher affinity for serotonin 5-HT(2) receptors compared with dopamine D(2) receptors in vitro. The affinity of ziprasidone for these receptors in vivo in patients was examined in a positron emission tomography (PET) study. METHOD: The authors conducted a PET study to evaluate D(2) occupancy (using [(11)C]raclopride) and 5-HT(2) occupancy (using [(18)F]setoperone) in brain regions of interest in 16 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder randomly assigned to receive 40, 80, 120, or 160 mg/day of ziprasidone, which reflected the recommended dose range. PET scanning was done after 3 weeks of administration and at trough plasma levels, i.e., 12-16 hours after the last dose. RESULTS: The mean 5-HT(2) receptor occupancy was significantly higher than the mean D(2) receptor occupancy (mean=76%, SD=15%, and mean=56%, SD=18%, respectively). The estimated plasma ziprasidone concentration associated with 50% maximal 5-HT(2) receptor occupancy was almost four times lower than that for D(2) receptor occupancy. CONCLUSIONS: These data affirm that ziprasidone is similar to other novel antipsychotics in having greater 5-HT(2) than D(2) receptor occupancy at therapeutic doses and suggest that the optimal effective dose of ziprasidone is closer to 120 mg/day than to the lower doses suggested by previous PET studies. The relatively high D(2) receptor occupancy, even at trough plasma levels, suggests that ziprasidone is more similar to risperidone and olanzapine in receptor occupancy profile than to clozapine and quetiapine. Since ziprasidone plasma levels show significant (more than twofold) variation within a single dose cycle, studies that are aimed at peak plasma levels (6 hours after the last dose) and that examine extrastriatal regions are required to fully characterize the in vivo occupancy profile of ziprasidone.

Does nicotine affect D2 receptor upregulation? A case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: Nicotine has a powerful preventive effect on neuroleptic-induced dopamine D2 receptor upregulation in the rat. The aim of this human positron emission tomography (PET) study was to compare upregulation in a smoker and a non-smoker, both of whom had received haloperidol for the same duration of time. METHOD: Two subjects who had been treated for 16 years with a constant dose of haloperidol were scanned after temporary haloperidol withdrawal, using [11C]-raclopride. RESULTS: The non-smoker, who had received a dose of 10 mg/day, showed a D2 upregulation of 98% and developed severe and persistent symptoms of tardive dyskinesia (TD) upon withdrawal. The chronic smoker, who had been treated with 40 mg/day, displayed a D2 upregulation of 71% and did not develop TD. CONCLUSION: These human observations agree with animal data which showed that nicotine can decrease neuroleptic-induced D2 receptor upregulation. This property of nicotine may play a protective role in movement disorders whose pathophysiology involves D2 receptor hypersensitivity.

Antipsychotic dosing patterns for schizophrenia in three treatment settings.

Daily dosages of antipsychotic medications were evaluated to determine whether current guidelines advocating lower dosing are being followed. A chart review of 163 outpatients with schizophrenia was undertaken in three outpatient hospital settings-a general community hospital, a provincial hospital, and an academic teaching hospital. The daily dosage in chlorpromazine equivalents was significantly higher in the provincial hospital (773.8 mg) than in the community hospital (355 mg) or the academic hospital (424.8 mg). A greater proportion of patients at the provincial hospital received conventional antipsychotics than novel antipsychotics or depot antipsychotics, and a greater proportion received more than one antipsychotic.

Increased dopamine D2 receptor binding after long-term treatment with antipsychotics in humans: a clinical PET study.

RATIONALE: Dopamine D2 receptor upregulation in the striatum is regularly seen in response to the administration of traditional antipsychotics in animal experiments. This is associated with hyperactivity and, for this reason, D2 receptor upregulation has long been postulated as central to tardive dyskinesia (TD). OBJECTIVE: Using positron emission tomography (PET), the present study attempted to determine whether antipsychotic-induced D2 receptor up-regulation also occurs in humans. METHODS: The long-term effects of traditional and novel antipsychotics on dopamine D2 receptors were investigated in nine subjects meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia who were deemed eligible for temporary treatment washout. Subjects had been treated with traditional antipsychotics (haloperidol n=3, perphenazine n=1) and novel antipsychotics (risperidone n=3, olanzapine n=2) in the moderate to high dosage range. Fourteen days after treatment withdrawal, the binding potentials (BPs) of dopamine D2 receptors were measured using 11[C] raclopride. The obtained BPs were compared to the BPs from antipsychotic-naive control subjects with schizophrenia. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in the D2 BP in both groups combined that reached 34%. The increases in the D2 BPs in the groups treated with conventional and novel antipsychotics were 37% and 31%, respectively. Significantly, the patients showing the highest degree of D2 receptor upregulation (98%) developed severe and persistent TD shortly after being started on a new antipsychotic with low affinity for D2 receptors. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates for the first time, using in vivo neuroreceptor imaging, that dopamine D2 receptor binding is increased after long-term treatment with antipsychotics in humans. The data suggest that both traditional and novel antipsychotics with high affinity for dopamine D2 receptors are associated with a substantial increase in D2 receptor binding. The present data in humans agree well with animal data that implicate D2 receptor-mediated mechanisms in motor hyperactivity.