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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Erfassung von Neurotransmitterinteraktionen mit PET und SPECT durch pharmakologische Challenge-Paradigmen

subject

description

Functional brain imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) enables the in vivo study of specific neurochemical processes in the context of normal regulatory mechanisms and pathophysiological alterations of the brain. By combining these methods with pharmacological challenge-paradigms, the study of functional interactions of different neurotransmitter systems is possible. This review will present data from animal and healthy volunteer studies as well as first data from investigations in different patient populations with regard to this research direction. Especially, interactions of different neurotransmitter systems with the dopaminergic and the cholinergic system will be discussed. The database acquired so far confirms existing models of neuronal feedback-circuits, and the first clinical results are consistent with the hypothesis of an increased dopaminergic responsivity in schizophrenic patients. These results open up new perspectives for a further evaluation of treatment response predictors from drug-challenge studies and for the development of new drug treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders.