title: Availability of brain serotonin transporters (5-HTT) is associated with low positive mood in healthy elderly subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We tried to find any significant correlation between serotonin transporter (5-HTT) availability and depressive symptoms in healthy elderly subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  16 healthy elderly subjects (≥ 65 years) who were functioning independently in a community were randomly selected. An iodine-123-2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4- iodophenyltropane) [123I]-b-CIT single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was administered and depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total GDS scores were associated with the V3″ values in dorsal raphe (b = 0.60, t = 2.84, p = 0.01) but not in pons (b = 0.05, t = 0.19, p = 0.85) and medulla (b = 0.06, t = 0.20, p = 0.84). Among five subscale scores of K-GDS, only positive mood scores were significantly associated with the V3″ values in dorsal raphe, while not in pons and medulla.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggests that 5-HTT availability should be involved in dimensional depressive symptoms in a specific brain region in healthy elderly subjects and should be replicated in subsequent adequately-powered and more well-designed studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chi-Un
authors.initials: CU
authors.lastname: Pae
authors.forename: Jin Hyeong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jhoo
authors.forename: In-Young
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Yu Kyeong
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seockhoon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Jung Jae
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joon Hyuck
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Ji Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Tae Hui
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ki Woong
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D003042:Cocaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D003863:Depression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D011149:Pons / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: C528135:2-carbomethoxy-3-(3'-iodophenyl)tropane; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D003042:Cocaine