BACKGROUND: Prior research has suggested reductions in the density of serotonin transporter (SERT) binding sites in blood platelets and post-mortem brain tissue of depressed patients. We sought to determine whether patients with unipolar major depression have diminished SERT availability as assessed by both brainstem [123I] beta-CIT SPECT and platelet [3H]paroxetine binding. METHODS: Drug-free depressed and healthy subjects were injected with 211 +/- 22 MBq [123I] beta-CIT and imaged 24 +/- 2 h later under equilibrium conditions. A ratio of specific to nonspecific brain uptake (V3" = (brainstem-occipital)/occipital), a measure proportional to the binding potential (Bmax/Kd), was used for all comparisons. RESULTS: Results showed a statistically significant reduction in brainstem V3" values in depressed as compared to healthy subjects (3.1 +/- .9 vs. 3.8 +/- .8, p = .02). Platelet [3H]paroxetine binding was not altered (Bmax = 2389 +/- 484 vs. 2415 +/- 538 fmol/mg protein, p = .91) and was not significantly correlated with brainstem [123I] beta-CIT binding (r = -0.14, p = .48). CONCLUSIONS: These data are the first to suggest reductions in the density of brain SERT binding sites in living depressed patients. These findings provide further support for a preeminent role for alterations in serotonergic neurons in the pathophysiology of depression.
BACKGROUND: Prior research has suggested reductions in the density of serotonin transporter (SERT) binding sites in blood platelets and post-mortem brain tissue of depressedpatients. We sought to determine whether patients with unipolar major depression have diminished SERT availability as assessed by both brainstem [123I] beta-CIT SPECT and platelet [3H]paroxetine binding. METHODS:Drug-free depressed and healthy subjects were injected with 211 +/- 22 MBq [123I] beta-CIT and imaged 24 +/- 2 h later under equilibrium conditions. A ratio of specific to nonspecific brain uptake (V3" = (brainstem-occipital)/occipital), a measure proportional to the binding potential (Bmax/Kd), was used for all comparisons. RESULTS: Results showed a statistically significant reduction in brainstem V3" values in depressed as compared to healthy subjects (3.1 +/- .9 vs. 3.8 +/- .8, p = .02). Platelet [3H]paroxetine binding was not altered (Bmax = 2389 +/- 484 vs. 2415 +/- 538 fmol/mg protein, p = .91) and was not significantly correlated with brainstem [123I] beta-CIT binding (r = -0.14, p = .48). CONCLUSIONS: These data are the first to suggest reductions in the density of brain SERT binding sites in living depressedpatients. These findings provide further support for a preeminent role for alterations in serotonergic neurons in the pathophysiology of depression.
Authors: Matthias Reimold; Astrid Knobel; Michael A Rapp; Anil Batra; Klaus Wiedemann; Andreas Ströhle; Anke Zimmer; Peter Schönknecht; Michael N Smolka; Daniel R Weinberger; David Goldman; Hans-Jürgen Machulla; Roland Bares; Andreas Heinz Journal: Psychopharmacology (Berl) Date: 2010-06-29 Impact factor: 4.530
Authors: I Hui Lee; Yen Kuang Yang; Po See Chen; Hui Chun Huang; Tzung Lieh Yeh; Ru-Band Lu; Nan-Tsing Chiu; Wei Jen Yao; Shih-Hsien Lin Journal: Psychopharmacology (Berl) Date: 2010-11-12 Impact factor: 4.530
Authors: Joan Kaufman; Bao-Zhu Yang; Heather Douglas-Palumberi; Shadi Houshyar; Deborah Lipschitz; John H Krystal; Joel Gelernter Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Date: 2004-11-24 Impact factor: 11.205
Authors: M Reimold; M N Smolka; G Schumann; A Zimmer; J Wrase; K Mann; X-Z Hu; D Goldman; G Reischl; C Solbach; H-J Machulla; R Bares; A Heinz Journal: J Neural Transm (Vienna) Date: 2007-01-18 Impact factor: 3.575
Authors: Abigail G Schindler; Daniel I Messinger; Jeffrey S Smith; Haripriya Shankar; Richard M Gustin; Selena S Schattauer; Julia C Lemos; Nicholas W Chavkin; Catherine E Hagan; John F Neumaier; Charles Chavkin Journal: J Neurosci Date: 2012-12-05 Impact factor: 6.167