title: Impulsivity is related to striatal dopamine transporter availability in healthy males.
abstract: Impulsivity characterises various psychiatric disorders, particularly attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Evidence shows that ADHD symptoms are associated with dopamine dysfunction and alleviated with methylphenidate, a drug that reduces dopamine transporter availability. ADHD-like symptoms and impulsive traits are continuously distributed across the general population. Here, we aimed to investigate the dopaminergic basis of impulsivity and other ADHD-related traits in healthy individuals by studying the association of these traits with striatal dopamine transporter availability. Single-photon emission computed tomography with [(123)I] FP-CIT was performed on 38 healthy males. Impulsivity was measured using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) and hyperactivity-impulsivity and inattention using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS). We found that greater dopamine transporter availability was associated with higher BIS impulsivity but not with ADHD-related traits. The association with BIS was significant after accounting for individual differences in age and neuroticism. These results suggest that individual differences in the dopamine system may be a neural correlate of trait impulsivity in healthy individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: la Fougère
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pogarell
authors.forename: Hans-Jürgen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riedel
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ettinger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014326:Tropanes; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D014326:Tropanes; C087552:2-carbomethoxy-8-(3-fluoropropyl)-3-(4-iodophenyl)tropane