title: Greater availability of dopamine transporters in patients with major depression--a dual-isotope SPECT study.
abstract: In order to explore the neuropathology of the pre- and post-synaptic dopamine neurons of patients with major depression, we examined striatal D(2)/D(3) receptor uptake and dopamine transporter (DAT) availability simultaneously in drug-free depressed patients using a dual-isotope single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging technique. Ten unmedicated patients with unmediated depression and ten healthy controls were recruited. The striatal dopamine D(2)/D(3) receptor availability was measured using SPECT and [(123)I] IBZM, while DAT was measured using SPECT and [(99m)Tc] TRODAT-1. The symptom changes of the drug-free patients were reassessed after a 4-week antidepressant treatment. DAT binding in the patient group were significantly higher than in control group. That was not the case, however, for striatal D(2)/D(3) receptor availability. Pre-treatment striatal DAT availability correlated only marginally with changes in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale after 4 weeks of treatment. Central dopamine functions may be altered in patients with major depression, particularly in the pre-synaptic sites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan. ykyang@mail.ncku.edu.tw
authors.forename: Yen Kuang
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Tzung Lieh
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Wei Jen
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: I Hui
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Po See
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Nan Tsing
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Ru Band
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001549:Benzamides; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D011759:Pyrrolidines; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics; D050637:Receptors, Dopamine D3 / Q000235:genetics; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014326:Tropanes
chemical_list: D001549:Benzamides; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D011759:Pyrrolidines; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D050637:Receptors, Dopamine D3; D014326:Tropanes; C104196:technetium Tc 99m TRODAT-1; C055743:3-iodo-2-hydroxy-6-methoxy-N-((1-ethyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)methyl)benzamide