Cortical dopamine D2/D3 receptors and verbal memory in man

Introduction: It has been previously reported that hippocampal dopamine D2/D3 receptors are involved in the regulation of verbal memory and learning in healthy volunteers. We tested this hypothesis further and studied whether cortical dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability in vivo is associated with verbal memory as assessed with the revised Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-R). Methods: Forty healthy Finnish subjects were evaluated according to the WMS-R and scanned with positron emission tomography (PET) and dopamine D2/D3 receptor radioligand [C-11]FLB457 for the measurement of cortical D2/D3 receptor binding. Results: WMS-R verbal memory and learning parameters did not significantly correlate with D2/D3 receptor binding potential (BPND) in the studied cortical regions. Conclusions: Our findings do not support a major role for cortical D2/D3 receptors in the regulation of verbal memory in healthy individuals. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.