Reduced mu opioid receptor availability in schizophrenia revealed with [¹¹C]-carfentanil positron emission tomographic Imaging.

ABSTRACT: Negative symptoms, such as amotivation and anhedonia, are a major cause of functional impairment in schizophrenia. There are currently no licensed treatments for negative symptoms, highlighting the need to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying them. Mu-opioid receptors (MOR) in the striatum play a key role in hedonic processing and reward function and are reduced post-mortem in schizophrenia. However, it is unknown if mu-opioid receptor availability is altered in-vivo or related to negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Using [¹¹C]-carfentanil positron emission tomography (PET) scans in 19 schizophrenia patients and 20 age-matched healthy controls, here we show a significantly lower MOR availability in patients with schizophrenia in the striatum (Cohen's d = 0.7), and the

SUBMITTER: Ashok AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6776653 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature