Dopaminergic dysfunction in the left putamen of patients with major depressive disorder.

Introduction: Dopaminergic transmission impairment has been identified as one of the main neurobiological correlates of both depression and clinical symptoms commonly associated with its spectrum such as anhedonia and psychomotor retardation.

Objectives: We examined the relationship between dopaminergic deficit in the striatum, as measured by I-FP-CIT SPECT imaging, and specific psychopathological dimensions in patients with major depressive disorder.

Methods: To our knowledge this is the first study with a sample of >120 subjects.