title: Wide impairment of cerebral serotoninergic activity but inter-individual heterogeneity in bulimia nervosa patients: a pilot [(18)F]MPPF/PET study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Bulimia nervosa (BN) is associated with abnormalities of serotoninergic system. Functional or ligand specific brain imaging studies revealed abnormalities in non-overlapping regions. [(18)F]MPPF (4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-[2-(N-2-pyridinyl)-p-fluorobenzamido]-ethylpiperazine) is a selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist with a serotonin-like affinity, capable to assess changes of brain serotoninergic activity in BN patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  [(18)F]MPPF cerebral binding potential (BPND) was measured by positron emission tomography scan in nine purging-type BN patients and eleven age-matched controls. Voxel-based statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analyses were performed to assess BPND differences between the two groups and between each BN patient and controls group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean [(18)F]MPPF BPND was overall increased in BN patients. SPM analysis with revealed symmetrical large clusters of increased [(18)F]MPPF binding in insula, temporo-parietal cortex, prefrontal cortex, in limbic, paralimbic cortex and raphe nuclei. SPM individual analysis indicated significant heterogeneity of [(18)F]MPPF mapping within BN group, including cases with isolated up to widespread increased binding. [(18)F]MPPF BPND did not covariate with depression or eating behaviour-related scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Large clusters of increased [(18)F]MPPF binding in severe BN overlap previous results, separately described within fMRI or PET studies. The relationship between the inter-individual [(18)F]MPPF binding heterogeneity and serotoninergic modulators efficacy in these patients remains to be assessed.
authors: Endocrinology Department , CHU Saint Etienne , France.
authors: Bogdan
authors: B
authors: Galusca
authors: Torrance
authors: T
authors: Sigaud
authors: Nicolas
authors: N
authors: Costes
authors: Jerome
authors: J
authors: Redoute
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Massoubre
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: Estour
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000631:Aminopyridines; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D065726:Limbic Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D059906:Neuroimaging; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010879:Piperazines; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000503:physiopathology; D059326:Serotonergic Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000631:Aminopyridines; D010879:Piperazines; C099463:4-(2' methoxyphenyl)-1-(2'-(N-(2''-pyridinyl)-4-fluorobenzamido)ethyl)piperazine
keywords: PET; brain imaging; depression; eating disorders; serotonin receptor