Reduced availability of serotonin transporters in obsessive-compulsive disorder correlates with symptom severity - a [11C]DASB PET study.
Reduced availability of brainstem serotonin transporters (5-HTT) has been observed in vivo in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, results vary and may be influenced by competition with endogenous serotonin. Using positron emission tomography (PET) and [11C]DASB, a specific 5-HTT ligand that showed no competition with serotonin for 5-HTT binding in vitro, we tested the hypothesis that 5-HTT availability is reduced in OCD patients and correlated with OCD severity. METHODS. 5-HTT availability in the thalamus and the midbrain was measured in nine drug-free OCD patients and compared with 19 healthy controls, matched for the individual combination of 5-HTT genotype, gender and smoking status. OCD severity was assessed with the Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale (Y-BOCS). RESULTS. 5-HTT availability was significantly reduced in the thalamus and midbrain of OCD patients. Age and 5-HTT in the thalamus explained 83% of OCD severity in patients that were drug-free for at least 1 year. CONCLUSION. This PET study confirms a central role of the serotonergic system, particularly the thalamus in the pathogenesis of obsessive compulsive disorder.
Reimold
M
M
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Smolka
M N
MN
Zimmer
A
A
Batra
A
A
Knobel
A
A
Solbach
C
C
Mundt
A
A
Smoltczyk
H U
HU
Goldman
D
D
Mann
K
K
Reischl
G
G
Machulla
H-J
HJ
Bares
R
R
Heinz
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000814:Aniline Compounds; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking; D013440:Sulfides
C412822:3-amino-4-(2-dimethylaminomethylphenylsulfanyl)benzonitrile; D000814:Aniline Compounds; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D013440:Sulfides
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