Brunelin, JeromeFecteau, ShirleySuaud-Chagny, Marie-Françoise2014-03-112013Brunelin, Jerome, Shirley Fecteau, and Marie-Françoise Suaud-Chagny. 2013 . “Abnormal Striatal Dopamine Transmission in Schizophrenia.” Current Medicinal Chemistry 20 (3): 397-404. doi:10.2174/0929867311320030011. http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0929867311320030011.0929-8673http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:11879382Despite numerous revisions and reformulations, dopamine (DA) hypothesis of schizophrenia remains a pivotal neurochemical hypothesis of this illness. The aim of this review is to expose and discuss findings from positron emission tomography (PET) or single-photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT) studies investigating DA function in the striatum of medicated, drug-naïve or drug-free patients with schizophrenia and in individuals at risk compared with healthy volunteers. DA function was studied at several levels: i) at a presynaptic level where neuroimaging studies investigating DOPA uptake capacity clearly show an increase of DA synthesis in patients with schizophrenia; ii) at a synaptic level where neuroimaging studies investigating dopamine transporter availability (DAT) does not bring any evidence of dysfunction; iii) and finally, neuroimaging studies investigating DA receptor density show a mild increase of D2 receptor density in basic condition and, an hyperreactivity of DA system in dynamic condition. These results are discussed regarding laterality, sub-regions of striatum and implications for the at-risk population. Striatal DA abnormalities are now clearly demonstrated in patients with schizophrenia and at risk population and could constitute an endophenotype of schizophrenia. Subtle sub-clinical striatal DA abnormalities in at risk population could be a biomarker of transition from a vulnerability state to the expression of frank psychosis.en-USDopaminestriatumschizophreniaPET; imaging.Journal Article2014-03-1110.2174/0929867311320030011