Sex Differences in the Striatal Dopamine D2 Receptor Binding Characteristics in Vivo

OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated whether striatal dopamine D2 receptor binding characteristics in vivo are similar in men and women and whether there are sex-related differences in the decline in D2 receptor density due to aging. METHOD: Striatal D2 receptor density (Bmax), affinity (Kd), and bin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of psychiatry 1998-06, Vol.155 (6), p.768-773
Main Authors: Pohjalainen, Tiina, Rinne, Juha O., Någren, Kjell, SyvÄlahti, Erkka, Hietala, Jarmo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
Aging - metabolism
Alcoholism - metabolism
Biological and medical sciences
Carbon Radioisotopes
Central nervous system
Central neurotransmission. Neuromudulation. Pathways and receptors
Corpus Striatum - chemistry
Corpus Striatum - diagnostic imaging
Corpus Striatum - metabolism
Female
Functional Laterality
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Male
Menopause - metabolism
Mental disorders
Middle Aged
Neurology
Psychiatry
Raclopride
Radioligand Assay
Receptors, Dopamine - analysis
Receptors, Dopamine - metabolism
Salicylamides
Sex Factors
Sexes
Tomography, Emission-Computed
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
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Summary:OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated whether striatal dopamine D2 receptor binding characteristics in vivo are similar in men and women and whether there are sex-related differences in the decline in D2 receptor density due to aging. METHOD: Striatal D2 receptor density (Bmax), affinity (Kd), and binding potential (Bmax/Kd) were measured with positron emission tomography and [11C]raclopride in 54 healthy subjects (33 men and 21 women). RESULTS: Women had generally lower D2 receptor affinity than men, and this difference was statistically significant in the left striatum. Bmax and Bmax/Kd tended to decline with age twice as fast in men as in women, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the age-related reduction of D2 receptor density and binding potential in both sexes in vivo. The lower D2 receptor affinity suggests an increased endogenous striatal dopamine concentration in women. This may have implications for the differential vulnerability of men and women to psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and alcohol and substance dependence.
ISSN:0002-953X
1535-7228
DOI:10.1176/ajp.155.6.768