Search for correlations between serotonin 5-HT1A receptor expression and cognitive functions--a strategy in translational psychopharmacology.
BACKGROUND
Animal studies and studies of human aging have suggested that the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor may serve as a biomarker for cognitive functioning and a target for pharmacological treatment of cognitive deficits.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this positron emission tomography (PET) study was to search for relationships between interindividual variability in serotonin 5-HT1A receptor binding potential (BP) and cognitive functioning.


METHODS
Twenty-four male control subjects, age 20-55 years, were examined with [11C]WAY100635 PET and a battery of cognitive tests. 5-HT1A receptor binding potential were calculated for the raphe nuclei, the hippocampus and the neocortex. Correlation coefficients between BP and cognitive performance were obtained for each region.


RESULTS
There was a severalfold of variability in 5-HT1A BP between individuals. We found no significant correlation between regional [11C]WAY100635 binding and cognitive performance.


CONCLUSIONS
The results do not provide support for involvement of the 5-HT1A receptor in cognitive functioning in man and question the predictive validity of some currently used animal models in translational neuroscience.
Borg
Jacqueline
J
Section of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden. jacqueline.borg@ki.se
Andrée
Bengt
B
Lundberg
Johan
J
Halldin
Christer
C
Farde
Lars
L
D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019579:Neocortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D044282:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D044282:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A