Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-171 76, Stockholm, Sweden.
Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2022 Sep;47(10):1863-1868. doi: 10.1038/s41386-022-01369-3. Epub 2022 Jul 11.
Synaptic serotonin levels in the brain are regulated by active transport into the bouton by the serotonin transporter, and by autoreceptors, such as the inhibitory serotonin (5-HT) 1B receptor which, when activated, decreases serotonin release. Animal studies have shown a regulatory link between the two proteins. Evidence of such coupling could translate to an untapped therapeutic potential in augmenting the effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors through pharmacological modulation of 5-HT receptors. Here we will for the first time in vivo examine the relationship between 5-HT receptors and serotonin transporters in the living human brain. Seventeen healthy individuals were examined with PET twice, using the radioligands [11C]AZ10419369 and [C]MADAM for quantification of the 5-HT receptor and the 5-HT transporter, respectively. The binding potential was calculated for a set of brain regions, and the correlations between the binding estimates of the two radioligands were studied. [C]AZ10419369 and [C]MADAM binding was positively correlated in all examined brain regions. In most cortical regions the correlation was strong, e.g., frontal cortex, r(15) = 0.64, p = 0.01 and parietal cortex, r(15) = 0.8, p = 0.0002 while in most subcortical regions, negligible correlations was observed. Though the correlation estimates in cortex should be interpreted with caution due to poor signal to noise ratio of [C]MADAM binding in these regions, it suggests a link between two key proteins involved in the regulation of synaptic serotonin levels. Our results indicate a need for further studies to address the functional importance of 5-HT receptors in treatment with drugs that inhibit serotonin reuptake.
大脑中的突触血清素水平受血清素转运体的主动转运进入末梢以及自受体的调节,如抑制性血清素(5-HT)1B 受体,当其被激活时,会减少血清素的释放。动物研究表明这两种蛋白质之间存在调节关系。这种偶联的证据可能转化为通过 5-HT 受体的药理学调节增强选择性血清素再摄取抑制剂的效果的未开发的治疗潜力。在这里,我们将首次在活体中检查人类大脑中 5-HT 受体和血清素转运体之间的关系。使用放射性配体 [11C]AZ10419369 和 [C]MADAM,对 17 名健康个体进行了两次 PET 检查,分别定量 5-HT 受体和 5-HT 转运体。计算了一组脑区的结合势,并研究了两种放射性配体的结合估计值之间的相关性。[C]AZ10419369 和 [C]MADAM 结合在所有检查的脑区均呈正相关。在大多数皮质区域,相关性很强,例如,额叶皮层,r(15)=0.64,p=0.01 和顶叶皮层,r(15)=0.8,p=0.0002,而在大多数皮质下区域,观察到的相关性可以忽略不计。虽然由于 [C]MADAM 结合在这些区域的信噪比差,皮质中的相关估计值应谨慎解释,但这表明参与调节突触血清素水平的两个关键蛋白之间存在联系。我们的结果表明,需要进一步研究以解决抑制血清素再摄取的药物治疗中 5-HT 受体的功能重要性。