[11 C]raclopride positron emission tomography study of dopamine-D2/3 receptor binding in patients with severe major depressive episodes before and after electroconvulsive therapy and compared to control subjects.

Using PET and [11 C]raclopride, we found support for the notion that severe major depressive episodes are associated with significantly lower dopamine D2 /D3 binding in all three subsections of striatum compared to controls. We noted no significant effect on D2 /D3 binding in the patient group after response to ECT.