Relationships between dopamine D2/3 receptor availability and social-environmental factors in humans.

Social factors are associated with psychiatric outcomes and brain function. Relationships between local population data obtained from Social Explorer analyses of the American Community Survey (2014-2018) and dopamine D2/3 receptor (D2/3R) availability were explored in this retrospective analysis of [11C]PHNO positron emission tomography (PET) imaging data (n = 70). Larger local population size and lower percentage of the population with a bachelor's degree or higher were significantly associated with higher striatal D2/3R availability, suggesting that living in a populous area with fewer educational resources may be accompanied by stressors with concomitant dopaminergic changes. Future prospective, collaborative studies are needed to better understand the precise etiology of the observed relationships.