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Subjective Experience and D₂ Receptor Occupancy in Patients With Recent-Onset Schizophrenia Treated With Low-Dose Olanzapine or Haloperidol: A Randomized, Double-Blind Study

OBJECTIVE: The authors tested the hypothesis that a dopamine D₂ receptor occupancy level between 60% and 70% in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia would result in optimal subjective experience. In addition, they sought preliminary evidence on whether subjective experience is better with low-dose olanzapine than with low-dose haloperidol. METHOD: Subjects (N=24) who met DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of double-blind treatment with either olanzapine, 7.5 mg/day, or haloperidol, 2.5 mg/day. Subjective experience, psychopathology, and extrapyramidal symptoms were assessed at baseline and at endpoint. After 6 weeks, D₂ receptor occupancy was assessed with [¹²³I]iodobenzamide single photon emission computed tomography. RESULTS: The two study groups were similar at baseline. After 6 weeks, patients receiving olanzapine had a significantly lower mean dopamine D₂ receptor occupancy (51.0%, range=36%–67%) than those given haloperidol (65.5%, range=45%–75%). Receptor occupancy between 60% and 70% was associated with optimal subjective experience, and subjective experience improved significantly in the haloperidol group. CONCLUSIONS: A level of D₂ receptor occupancy between 60% and 70% is optimal for subjective experience of patients with recent-onset schizophrenia. Substantial interindividual variation in D₂ receptor occupancy was seen at fixed low-dose levels of olanzapine and haloperidol. Olanzapine, 7.5 mg/day, showed no superior subjective response over haloperidol, 2.5 mg/day. Olanzapine may need to be dosed higher than 7.5 mg/day for most patients with recent-onset schizophrenia, and haloperidol needs to be individually titrated in the very low dose range to reach optimal occupancy.

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