Test-retest measurements of dopamine D-type receptors using simultaneous PET/MRI imaging.

Purpose: The role of dopamine D-type receptor (DR)-expressing neurons in the regulation of motivated behavior and reward prediction has not yet been fully established. As a prerequisite for future research assessing D-mediated neuronal network regulation using simultaneous PET/MRI and DR-selective [C]SCH23390, this study investigated the stability of central DR measurements between two independent PET/MRI sessions under baseline conditions.

Methods: Thirteen healthy volunteers (7 female, age 33 ± 13 yrs) underwent 90-min emission scans, each after 90-s bolus injection of 486 ± 16 MBq [C]SCH23390, on two separate days within 2-4 weeks using a PET/MRI system. Parametric images of DR distribution volume ratio (DVR) and binding potential (BP) were generated by a multi-linear reference tissue model with two parameters and the cerebellar cortex as receptor-free reference region. Volume-of-interest (VOI) analysis was performed with manual VOIs drawn on consecutive transverse MRI slices for brain regions with high and low DR density.

Results: The DVR varied from 2.5 ± 0.3 to 2.9 ± 0.5 in regions with high DR density (e.g. the head of the caudate) and from 1.2 ± 0.1 to 1.6 ± 0.2 in regions with low DR density (e.g. the prefrontal cortex). The absolute variability of the DVR ranged from 2.4% ± 1.3% to 5.1% ± 5.3%, while Bland-Altman analyses revealed very low differences in mean DVR (e.g. 0.013 ± 0.17 for the nucleus accumbens). Intraclass correlation (one-way, random) indicated very high agreement (0.93 in average) for both DVR and BP values. Accordingly, the absolute variability of BP ranged from 7.0% ± 4.7% to 12.5% ± 10.6%; however, there were regions with very low DR content, such as the occipital cortex, with higher mean variability.

Conclusion: The test-retest reliability of DR measurements in this study was very high. This was the case not only for DR-rich brain areas, but also for regions with low DR density. These results will provide a solid base for future joint PET/MRI data analyses in stimulation-dependent mapping of DR-containing neurons and their effects on projections in neuronal circuits that determine behavior.