title: Effortful control as a dimension of temperament is negatively associated with prefrontal serotonin transporter availability in obese and non-obese individuals.
abstract: There is evidence that temperamental factors are associated with obesity; however, the biological mechanism of such association remains elusive. We aimed to investigate a possible association between serotonin transmission and regulative temperament in obese and non-obese individuals by using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of serotonin transporters (SERT) and the Adult Temperament Questionnaire. Twenty-nine obese individuals with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m2and 13 non-obese controls (BMI < 30 kg/m2) underwent PET with [11C]-labeled DASB (highly selective for SERT) and self-completed the Effortful Control (EC) scale of the Adult Temperament Questionnaire-Short Form (ATQ). With the help of this questionnaire, we aimed to assess the capacity of self-regulation. Overall, for obese and non-obese individuals together, VOI-based (volume of interest) analysis showed significant negative correlations between SERT BPNDand ATQ-EC AC (Activation Control) subscale in several brain regions (all r ≤ -0.47). Obese and non-obese individuals separated showed equally strong positive, but non-significant correlations. The analysis did not reveal any significant correlations of SERT availability and ATQ-EC IC (Inhibitory Control) or ATQ-EC AtC (Attentional Control) subscale within and between the two groups. The results indicate that regulative temperament - particularly the capacity to mitigate negatively toned impulses and to resist inappropriate avoidance behavior - might be associated with the prefrontal serotonergic system.
authors: Integrated Treatment and Research Centre (IFB) Adiposity Diseases, Leipzig University Medical Centre, Leipzig, Germany. franziska.zientek@medizin.uni-leipzig.de.|Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 18, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. franziska.zientek@medizin.uni-leipzig.de.
authors: Franziska
authors: F
authors: Zientek
authors: Translational Centre for Regenerative Medicine (TRM), University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Karsten
authors: K
authors: Winter
authors: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Astrid
authors: A
authors: Müller
authors: Integrated Treatment and Research Centre (IFB) Adiposity Diseases, Leipzig University Medical Centre, Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Rullmann
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 18, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Luthardt
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 18, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Georg-Alexander
authors: GA
authors: Becker
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 18, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Anke
authors: A
authors: Bresch
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 18, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Marianne
authors: M
authors: Patt
authors: Integrated Treatment and Research Centre (IFB) Adiposity Diseases, Leipzig University Medical Centre, Leipzig, Germany.|Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 18, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Osama
authors: O
authors: Sabri
authors: Integrated Treatment and Research Centre (IFB) Adiposity Diseases, Leipzig University Medical Centre, Leipzig, Germany.|Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Anja
authors: A
authors: Hilbert
authors: Integrated Treatment and Research Centre (IFB) Adiposity Diseases, Leipzig University Medical Centre, Leipzig, Germany.|Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 18, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Swen
authors: S
authors: Hesse
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D012701:Serotonin
keywords: PET imaging; activation control; obesity; regulative temperament