1. Glucose utilization in the medial prefrontal cortex correlates with serotonin turnover rate and clinical depression in alcoholics.
- Author
-
Williams W, Reimold M, Kerich M, Hommer D, Bauer M, and Heinz A
- Subjects
- Depressive Disorder, Major diagnosis, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fluorodeoxyglucose F18, Humans, Male, Pilot Projects, Positron-Emission Tomography, Radiopharmaceuticals, Serotonin cerebrospinal fluid, Severity of Illness Index, Alcoholism metabolism, Depressive Disorder, Major metabolism, Glucose metabolism, Prefrontal Cortex metabolism, Serotonin metabolism
- Abstract
We measured the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), regional cerebral glucose uptake (rCMRglc) as assessed with positron emission tomography in the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and severity of clinical depression (Beck's Depression Inventory, BDI) in detoxified male alcoholics and age-matched healthy men. In alcoholics, the severity of clinical depression was negatively correlated with rCMRglc in the medial PFC and positively with CSF 5-HIAA concentrations. A voxel-based analysis showed that the strongest correlation between CSF 5-HIAA levels and rCMRglc was found in alcoholics in the left orbitofrontal and medial PFC (BA10 and BA11); no significant correlations were observed among healthy control subjects. This pilot study indicates that a dysfunction of medial PFC may interact with central serotonin turnover and negative mood states during early abstinence.
- Published
- 2004
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