Brain Imaging of DSP-2342

Many symptomatic domains in schizophrenia, with the exception of positive symptoms, are inadequately addressed by currently available antipsychotics, all of which rely on dopamine D2 receptor blockade. This blockade also elicits several major side effects. Conversely, some atypical antipsychotics possess additional receptor-binding capacities (e.g., targeting 5-HT2A and 5-HT7 receptors) and exhibit some efficacy against non-positive symptoms, such as cognitive dysfunction. Focusing on these clinico-pharmacological features, DSP has developed a novel compound that selectively binds to 5-HT2A and 5-HT7 receptors without interacting with the D2 receptor. This compound has been tested at the clinical level at a single dose, which was formally approved. Thus, the investigators plan to evaluate the neural effects of a single oral dose of DSP-2342 on brain chemistry and brain activity in adults with schizophrenia. Guided by preclinical data for DSP-2342, the investigators will measure brain chemistry using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and brain activity via task-based functional MRI (fMRI), comparing these measures before and after a single dose of DSP-2342. Based on these preclinical findings, the investigators hypothesize that DSP-2342 will produce measurable changes in brain chemistry, such as altering glutamate levels in the prefrontal cortex.