title: Human serotonin transporter availability predicts fear conditioning.
abstract: Serotonin facilitates fear learning in animals. We therefore predicted that individual differences in the capacity to regulate serotonergic transmission in the human neural fear circuit would be inversely related to fear conditioning. The capacity to regulate serotonergic transmission was indexed by serotonin transporter availability measured with [(11)C]-DASB positron emission tomography. Results indicate that lower serotonin transporter availability in the amygdala, insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex predicts enhanced conditioned autonomic fear responses. Our finding supports serotonergic modulation of fear conditioning in humans and may aid in understanding susceptibility for developing anxiety conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: fredrik.ahs@psyk.uu.se.
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Åhs
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frick
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Furmark
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fredrikson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001596:Benzylamines / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000187:drug effects; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001596:Benzylamines; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; C420885:N,N-dimethyl-2-(2-amino-4-cyanophenylthio)benzylamine; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
keywords: 5-HTT; Amygdala; Anterior cingulate; Anxiety disorders; DASB; Insula; Post-traumatic stress disorder