203. Nigral Stress-Induced Dopamine Release in Clinical High Risk and Antipsychotic-Naive Schizophrenia

Background: Dopamine (DA) synthesis capacity and release are elevated in schizophrenia (SCZ) and its putative prodrome, the clinical high risk state (CHR). Striatal DA results from the activity of midbrain DA neurons projecting mainly from the substantia nigra (SN). Elevated stress-induced DA release in SCZ and CHR was observed in the striatum, however whether it is also elevated in the SN is unclear. The current study aims to determine whether nigral DA release in response to a validated stress task is altered in CHR and in antipsychotic-naive SCZ. Further, we explore how DA release in the SN and striatum might be related.