Its selectivity to the cerebral D2 receptors is characterized by its respective Ki-values, which are as follows: 1.8, 3.5, 2400 and 18000 nM for D2, D3, D4 and D1 receptors respectively.
It can be radiolabelled with radioisotopes, e.g. 3H or 11C and used as a tracer for in vitro imaging (autoradiography) as well as in vivo imaging positron emission tomography (PET). Images obtained by cerebral PET scanning (e.g. PET/CT or PET/MRI) allow the non-invasive assessment of the binding capacity of the cerebral D2 dopaminereceptor, which can be useful for the diagnosis of movement disorders. In particular, cerebral D2 receptor binding as measured by carbon-11-raclopride (11C-raclopride) has shown to reflect disease severity of Huntington's disease, a genetic disease characterized by selective degeneration of cerebral D2 receptors.[3]
^Köhler C, Hall H, Ogren SO, Gawell L (1985). "Specific in vitro and in vivo binding of 3H-raclopride. A potent substituted benzamide drug with high affinity for dopamine D-2 receptors in the rat brain". Biochemical Pharmacology. 34 (13): 2251–9. doi:10.1016/0006-2952(85)90778-6. PMID4015674.
^Ishibashi K, Ishii K, Oda K, Mizusawa H, Ishiwata K (2010). "Competition between 11C-raclopride and endogenous dopamine in Parkinson's disease". Nucl Med Commun. 31 (2): 159–66. doi:10.1097/MNM.0b013e328333e3cb. PMID19966595. S2CID205821715.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)