Age-related diurnal effect on D2 receptor binding: a preliminary PET study

Animal research has shown a diurnal variation in dopamine neurotransmission, with a reduced release at night. Variations in biomarkers for the dopamine system over the day have, however, not been investigated in human subjects. In this preliminary PET study, we used the radioligands [C-11]raclopride and [C-11]FLB457 to determine dopamine D-2-receptor binding in 16 human subjects in the morning and evening on the same day. The average difference between morning and evening examinations did not indicate a diurnal effect on D-2 receptor availability. However, when age was taken into account in the analysis, a pattern emerged where individuals in the lower age range showed reduced evening binding while in older subjects binding potential increased. The product-moment correlation between morning-evening change and age was statistically significant in insula, medial frontal cortex and rostral anterior cingulate. The findings, if replicated, have direct relevance for applied PET studies and could also prove relevant with regard to age effects on dopamine-related behaviour such as arousal and cognitive performance.