Chang Wei Hung, Lee I Hui, Chi Mei Hung, Lin Shih-Hsien, Chen Kao Chin, Chen Po See, Chiu Nan Tsing, Yao Wei Jen, Yang Yen Kuang
Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 7;8(1):2558. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-20923-y.
Top-down regulation in the human brain and anatomical connections between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and specific catecholamine-related regions have been well-studied. However, the way in which the PFC modulates downstream neuro-networks in terms of serotonin and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) by variation in the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is still unclear. We recruited sixty-seven healthy subjects. Serotonin transporter (SERT) availability was examined by SPECT with [I]ADAM analysis; heart rate variability (HRV) testing was performed, and the BDNF level was measured. The Wisconsin card-sorting test (WCST), which assesses PFC activation, was also conducted. The interactions of BDNF level and SERT availability were significant in relation to the HRV indexes of low frequency, high frequency, total power, and mean heart rate range. Moderate to significant positive correlations between SERT availability and the above-mentioned HRV indexes existed only in subjects with a low BDNF level. Furthermore, in the low BDNF level group, only those with high WCST perseveration errors or low category completions exhibited significant positive correlations between SERT availability and HRV indexes. A lower BDNF level and poorer PFC function might modulate the synergistic effects of serotonergic and ANS systems in order to maintain brain physiological and psychological homeostasis.
人类大脑中的自上而下调节以及前额叶皮层（PFC）与特定儿茶酚胺相关区域之间的解剖学联系已得到充分研究。然而，PFC通过脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）水平的变化在血清素和自主神经系统（ANS）方面调节下游神经网络的方式仍不清楚。我们招募了67名健康受试者。通过使用[I]ADAM分析的SPECT检查血清素转运体（SERT）的可用性；进行心率变异性（HRV）测试，并测量BDNF水平。还进行了评估PFC激活的威斯康星卡片分类测试（WCST）。BDNF水平与SERT可用性之间的相互作用在低频、高频、总功率和平均心率范围的HRV指标方面具有显著意义。仅在BDNF水平较低的受试者中，SERT可用性与上述HRV指标之间存在中度至显著的正相关。此外，在BDNF水平较低的组中，只有那些WCST持续错误率高或类别完成率低的受试者，SERT可用性与HRV指标之间存在显著的正相关。较低的BDNF水平和较差的PFC功能可能会调节血清素能和ANS系统的协同作用，以维持大脑的生理和心理稳态。
