Murphy Declan G M, Daly Eileen, Schmitz Nicole, Toal Fiona, Murphy Keiran, Curran Sarah, Erlandsson Kjell, Eersels Jos, Kerwin Robert, Ell Peter, Travis Michael
Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Psychological Medicine, London, UK.
Am J Psychiatry. 2006 May;163(5):934-6. doi: 10.1176/ajp.2006.163.5.934.
The cause of autistic spectrum disorder (i.e., autism and Asperger's syndrome) is unknown. The serotonergic (5-HT) system may be especially implicated. However, cortical 5-HT2A receptor density in adults with the disorder has not been examined, to the authors' knowledge.
The authors investigated cortical 5-HT2A receptor binding in eight adults with Asperger's syndrome and in 10 healthy comparison subjects with single photon emission computed tomography and the selective 5-HT2A receptor ligand 123I iodinated 4-amino-N-[1-[3-(4-fluorophenoxy)propyl]-4-methyl-4-piperidinyl]-5-iodo-2-methoxybenzamide (123I-5-I-R91150).
People with Asperger's syndrome had a significant reduction in cortical 5-HT2A receptor binding in the total, anterior, and posterior cingulate; bilaterally in the frontal and superior temporal lobes; and in the left parietal lobe. Also, reduced receptor binding was significantly related to abnormal social communication.
The authors' findings suggest that adults with Asperger's syndrome have abnormalities in cortical 5-HT2A receptor density and that this deficit may underlie some clinical symptoms.
自闭症谱系障碍（即自闭症和阿斯伯格综合征）的病因尚不清楚。血清素能（5-羟色胺，5-HT）系统可能与之有特别关联。然而，据作者所知，尚未对患有该障碍的成年人的皮质5-HT2A受体密度进行研究。
作者利用单光子发射计算机断层扫描和选择性5-HT2A受体配体123I碘化4-氨基-N-[1-[3-(4-氟苯氧基)丙基]-4-甲基-4-哌啶基]-5-碘-2-甲氧基苯甲酰胺（123I-5-I-R91150），对8名患有阿斯伯格综合征的成年人以及10名健康对照者的皮质5-HT2A受体结合情况进行了研究。
患有阿斯伯格综合征的人在全脑、前扣带回和后扣带回的皮质5-HT2A受体结合显著减少；在双侧额叶和颞上叶以及左侧顶叶也有减少。此外，受体结合减少与异常的社交沟通显著相关。
作者的研究结果表明，患有阿斯伯格综合征的成年人皮质5-HT2A受体密度存在异常，这种缺陷可能是某些临床症状的基础。
