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Imaging of serotonin and dopamine transporters in the living human brain

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Abstract

Alterations in brain serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) activity are associated with several neuropsychiatric disorders, but until now it has not been possible to simultaneously visualize or quantify the 5-HT and the DA transporter density in the living human brain. In this paper we report on the imaging of 5-HT and DA transporters in 28 healthy controls with single-photon emission tomography using iodine-123 labelled 2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl)tropane ([123I]β-CIT) as the tracer. The [123I]β-CIT distribution showed the most prominent 5-HT activity in the medial frontal cortex, hypothalamus, midbrain and occipital cortex and the greatest DA activity in the basal ganglia. The specific binding of the 5-HT transporters in the medial frontal cortex was 0.377±0.031 and that of the DA transporters in the basal ganglia, 0.916±0.007. Gjedde-Patlak plots indicated two separate components: the first was assumed to represent 5-HT transporters with a slope of 1.29±0.27 h−1 and the second, DA transporters with a slope of 0.30±0.04 h−1. This distinct kinetic pattern and the fact that 5-HT and DA transporters are situated in different parts of the brain provides an opportunity to study in vivo patients suffering from various neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Physiology, Kuopio University Hospital, FIN-70210, Kuopio, Finland

    Jyrki T. Kuikka, Kim A. Bergström & Esko Länsimies

  2. Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Kuopio University Hospital, FIN-70210, Kuopio, Finland

    Jari Tiihonen & Panu Hakola

  3. Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Kuopio University Hospital, FIN-70210, Kuopio, Finland

    Jari Karhu

  4. Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, FIN-70210, Kuopio, Finland

    Päivi Hartikainen

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Kuopio University Hospital, FIN-70210, Kuopio, Finland

    Heimo Viinamäki & Johannes Lehtonen

Authors
  1. Jyrki T. Kuikka
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  2. Jari Tiihonen
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  3. Kim A. Bergström
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  4. Jari Karhu
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  5. Päivi Hartikainen
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  6. Heimo Viinamäki
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  7. Esko Länsimies
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  8. Johannes Lehtonen
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  9. Panu Hakola
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Kuikka, J.T., Tiihonen, J., Bergström, K.A. et al. Imaging of serotonin and dopamine transporters in the living human brain. Eur J Nucl Med 22, 346–350 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00941852

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00941852

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