Claudia Vingerhoets

Clinical and neurobiological characterisation of “muscarinic receptor- deficit schizophrenia MRDS”

The objective of the study is to determine the role of muscarine M1 receptors in cognitive dysfunction in first episode psychosis. This will be done through SPECT and MRI imaging with an acetylcholine depletion paradigm. The rationale behind the project is that acetylcholine plays are role in cognitive functioning and that there is a subgroup of schizophrenia patients that have reduced density and M1 receptor binding in the hippocampus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex that are referred to as “muscarinic receptor- deficit schizophrenia” or MRDS. The study seeks to identify a biomarker to identify these cases that will benefit greatly from treatment with M1 agonists.