Striatal D2 dopaminergic receptor status ascertained in vivo by positron emission tomography and 76Br-bromospiperone in untreated schizophrenics.

To test in vivo the hypothesis of a D 2 DA receptor increase in the striatum of schizophrenics and to investigate the possible relationships between D 2 receptor density and the clinical features of the illness, we used PET and 76 Br-bromospiperone (Maziere et al., 1985) in 12 male patients who met the DSM-III criteria for schizophrenic disorders