Thomas A J, Hendriksen M, Piggott M, Ferrier I N, Perry E, Ince P, O'Brien J T
School of Neurology, Neurobiology and Psychiatry, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol. 2006 Jun;32(3):296-303. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2990.2006.00728.x.
Previous studies investigating the serotonin transporter (SERT) in depression have been inconsistent and included a large proportion of subjects who had committed suicide. In Alzheimer's disease studies have generally reported a reduction in SERT density but have not compared Alzheimer's disease subjects with and without comorbid major depression. We conducted a post mortem study of SERT density in the prefrontal cortex in normal elderly, a group of elderly depressed subjects and in Alzheimer's disease subjects with and without major depression. A post mortem study comparing SERT density in the prefrontal cortex in elderly controls (n = 10), subjects with major depression (n = 8) and subjects with Alzheimer's disease with (n = 9) and without (n = 5) comorbid major depression. We used autoradiography to measure the density of [3H]CN-IMI binding (non-specific binding determined with citalopram) to the SERT in the prefrontal cortex. We found a marked reduction in specific SERT binding in the prefrontal cortex in Alzheimer's disease subjects compared with both control (P = 0.002) and depressed subjects (P = 0.004) but no difference in SERT binding between depressed and control subjects or between Alzheimer's disease subjects with and without depression. Our study confirms previous reports of a reduction in SERT binding in Alzheimer's disease but indicates this reduction is not greater in Alzheimer's disease subjects who also have had major depression. In a group of subjects more typical of late-life depression we did not identify any alterations in SERT density.
以往关于抑郁症中5-羟色胺转运体（SERT）的研究结果并不一致，且纳入了很大比例的自杀者。在阿尔茨海默病研究中，一般报告SERT密度降低，但未对伴有和不伴有合并症重度抑郁症的阿尔茨海默病患者进行比较。我们对正常老年人、一组老年抑郁症患者以及伴有和不伴有重度抑郁症的阿尔茨海默病患者的前额叶皮质SERT密度进行了尸检研究。一项尸检研究比较了老年对照组（n = 10）、重度抑郁症患者（n = 8）以及伴有（n = 9）和不伴有（n = 5）合并症重度抑郁症的阿尔茨海默病患者前额叶皮质的SERT密度。我们使用放射自显影术测量前额叶皮质中[3H]CN-IMI与SERT结合的密度（用西酞普兰确定非特异性结合）。我们发现，与对照组（P = 0.002）和抑郁症患者（P = 0.004）相比，阿尔茨海默病患者前额叶皮质中特异性SERT结合显著降低，但抑郁症患者与对照组之间或伴有和不伴有抑郁症的阿尔茨海默病患者之间的SERT结合没有差异。我们的研究证实了之前关于阿尔茨海默病中SERT结合减少的报道，但表明这种减少在同时患有重度抑郁症的阿尔茨海默病患者中并不更大。在一组更具典型晚年抑郁症特征的受试者中，我们未发现SERT密度有任何改变。
