Brain imaging now reveals receptor dysfunction in living patients with schizophrenia

MedicalXpress | 七月 16, 2026

A study using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has found that patients with schizophrenia had significantly lower muscarinic acetylcholine M1 receptor availability (about 13%–19%) across multiple brain regions than healthy individuals. Reduced M1 receptor availability affects several brain regions involved in cognition, learning, memory and executive function. The findings in Biological Psychiatry provide the first in vivo evidence supporting widespread M1 receptor deficits in schizophrenia.