Grant: Project Grant

Schizophrenia has long been considered a disorder of brain development where loss of connections between brain cells (synapses) and reduction in brain volume are central to disease development. Until recently, studying synapses in living people was not possible. However, a radioactive dye ([18F]SynVesT-1) has now been developed to help measure the density of synapses in the human brain using advanced brain imaging techniques called positron emission tomography (PET). Recent PET studies have shown that synaptic density is reduced in the brains of individuals with established schizophrenia and excessive elimination of synapses during brain development may be related to risk of developing psychosis. No study has so far investigated synaptic density in individuals with first episode psychosis (FEP). Our study will be the first to evaluate synaptic density in individuals with FEP using [18F]SynVesT-1. We will also investigate if synaptic density changes over time and establish if these changes are associated with psychosis symptoms, functioning and cognition. This study has the potential to advance our understanding of the biology of psychosis, may help advance treatment development and contribute to psychosis prevention research.