Extrastriatal and striatal D(2) dopamine receptor blockade with haloperidol or new antipsychotic drugs in patients with schizophrenia.

Background: Both traditional and atypical antipsychotics have been hypothesised to be effective in schizophrenia through limbic and cortical D(2) dopamine receptor blockade.

Aims: To investigate this hypothesis with the D(2)/D(3)-selective positron emission tomography (PET) probe [(76)Br]-FLB457.

Method: PET scans were performed on 6 controls and 18 patients with schizophrenia treated with haloperidol or with risperidone, clozapine, amisulpride or olanzapine.

In vivo extrastriatal and striatal D2 dopamine receptor blockade by amisulpride in schizophrenia.

Amisulpride, a substituted benzamide with high affinity for dopamine D2 and D3 receptors only, has been reported to have therapeutic effects on both negative and positive schizophrenic symptoms, although at distinct dose ranges (50-300 mg/day vs. 400-1,200 mg/day). The purpose of this study was to investigate the binding of amisulpride to extrastriatal (i.