Serotonin transporter binding is reduced in seasonal affective disorder following light therapy.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of light therapy on serotonin transporter binding (5-HTT BP ), an index of 5-HTT levels, in the anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortices (ACC and PFC) during winter in seasonal affective disorder (SAD). 5-HTT BP fluctuates seasonally to a greater extent in SAD relative to health. We hypothesized that in SAD, 5-HTT BP would be reduced in the ACC and PFC following light therapy.

METHODS

Eleven SAD participants underwent [ C] DASB positron emission tomography (PET) scans to measure 5-HTT BP before and after 2 weeks of daily morning light therapy.

RESULTS

The primary finding was a main effect of treatment on 5-HTT BP in the ACC and PFC (repeated-measures manova, F = 6.82, P = 0.016). This effect was significant in the ACC (F = 15.11 and P = 0.003, magnitude of decrease, 11.94%) and PFC (F = 8.33, P = 0.016, magnitude of decrease, 9.13%). 5-HTT BP also decreased in other regions assayed following light therapy (repeated-measures manova, F = 8.54, P = 0.028) including the hippocampus, ventral striatum, dorsal putamen, thalamus and midbrain (F = 8.02-36.94, P < 0.0001-0.018; magnitude -8.83% to -16.74%).

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate that light therapy reaches an important therapeutic target in the treatment of SAD and provide a basis for improvement of this treatment via application of [ C]DASB PET.