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Serotonin plays a role in the regulation of emotional states in amygdala which in turn affect the function of hypothalamus. The physiological effects of emotions are mediated to autonomic nervous system by the hypothalamus, also innervated by the serotonergic Raphe nuclei. Aims: We evaluated the putative alterations of the serotonin transporter (SERT) density in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of hypothalamus of Cloninger type 1 and 2 (early onset, anti-social) alcoholics and controls. Methods: The study was performed by human whole-hemisphere auto-radiography with ( 3 H)citalopram. Results: Substantially sparser SERT density (−26%) with a moderate effect size (0.53) was observed in the hypothalamus of alcoholic subjects in relation to non- alcoholic comparison subjects, although the result failed to reach statistical significance. In type 2 alcoholics, there was a trend towards decreased SERT binding with large effect size (0.88), and no correlation between the SERT binding and the age at the time of death. There was a strong positive correlation between the SERT binding in amygdala and in PVN in type 2 alcoholics (P = 0.001), and negative correlation in type 1 alcoholics (P = 0.05), and no correlation in the control subjects. The difference between the groups was significant (χ 2 = 16.75 ,P = 0.0002). Conclusions: Taken together, these preliminary results support the hypothesis that the serotonergic regulation in the hypothalamus and amygdala are defected especially in type 2 alcoholics.

Only a few studies have been published concerning dissociation in general population adolescents. We assessed dissociation using the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES) in a sample of Finnish adolescents aged 13 to 18 years (n = 4019). The A-DES had good internal reliability and factor analysis suggested a 1-factor solution to be optimal. The younger participants had somewhat higher A-DES scores, but there were no differences between the genders. The mean A-DES score of 0.88 in the whole sample was lower than that in previous studies in other countries. A high level of dissociation was associated with an age of 15 or less, daily smoking, frequent use of alcohol, abuse of legal drugs, cannabis use, social isolation, and poor school performance in mathematics.

Background: A dysfunction in brain serotonin turnover is a well-established factor associated with the impulsive and sociopathic behavior in alcoholics. The conjuncted alterations in functioning of serotonin transporter (SERT) may play a role in the regulation of emotional balance, judgement, and the adverse behavioral effects of ethanol misuse. These traits may be related to serotonergic regulation in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Methods: The binding of [3H]citalopram to SERT was evaluated in the amygdala of Cloninger type 1 and 2 alcoholics (n = 17), and nonalcoholic control subjects (n = 10) by postmortem whole-hemisphere autoradiography. Results: The SERT binding was substantially lower in the dorsal amygdala in alcoholic subjects when compared with the controls (−28%, effect size 1.26, P = 0.016). In secondary analysis, this reduction was observed in both alcoholic subgroups (−26% in type 1 alcoholics, and −33% in type 2 alcoholics). In ventral amygdala, no alteration was observed. There were significant correlations between the SERT binding in dorsal amygdala and in previous results from frontal cortical areas in alcoholics, depending on the type of alcoholic. Conclusions: These results suggest that SERT binding in the amygdala, as well as the differential regulation of the SERT in amygdala and frontal cortex in alcoholics may help to explain the dysfunctional regulation of emotions in alcoholics. Synapse 61:629–636, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Nucleus accumbens (NAC) is regulated by the dopaminergic and serotonergic pathways, and it is a brain area with a crucial role in the rewarding effects of ethanol. In this preliminary study, possible alterations of [3H]citalopram binding to serotonin transporter (SERT) were evaluated in the NAC of Cloninger type 1 and 2 alcoholics (nine and seven subjects, respectively), and nonalcoholic controls (10 subjects) by human postmortem whole-hemisphere autoradiography. The [3H]citalopram binding in the NAC was 35% higher in the alcoholics than in the controls; in the type 1 alcoholics, the binding was 54% and in the type 2 alcoholics it was 17% higher. Although the effect size showed medium effects (0.49-0.60), the results did not reach statistical significance due to large standard deviations. The [3H]citalopram binding declined significantly with age in the controls, but not in the alcoholics. In the controls, there was a significant positive correlation between the [3H]citalopram binding in the NAC and in the anterior cingulate gyrus, an area in which the [3H]citalopram binding has been shown to be lower among alcoholics. On the contrary, a significant negative correlation was observed in the type 2 alcoholics and no correlation in the type 1 alcoholics. In addition, there was a strong tendency toward a positive correlation between the SERT and dopamine transporter binding in the type 2 alcoholics, but not in the other groups. These preliminary results suggest a differential monoaminergic imbalance in type 1 and 2 alcoholism in brain areas important for the regulation of motivation, reward, and reinforcement.

In the present study, putative alterations in the serotonin transporter density were evaluated in anterior and posterior insula, posterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus and dorsal raphe nucleus in Cloninger type 1 (n = 9) and type 2 (n = 8) alcoholics and non-alcoholic controls (n = 10). Methods: Human whole-hemisphere autoradiography was used to measure [3H]citalopram binding to serotonin transporters in eight brain areas in all post-mortem brains. Results: Significant differences were observed in the mean [3H]citalopram binding between the study groups, with antisocial type 2 alcoholics showing the lowest binding. Differences between the study groups were prominent in the posterior insula and posterior cingulate cortex, where both alcoholic groups had low [3H]citalopram binding, and in the parahippocampal gyrus where only antisocial type 2 alcoholics had low [3H]citalopram binding when compared with non-alcoholic controls. Conclusion: Although these data are preliminary, and from relatively small diagnostic groups, these results show that alcoholics may have lower serotonergic tone in the brain, thus decreasing social cognition and increasing alcohol-cue reactivity., final draft, peerReviewed

Dorsal striatum is regulated by the serotonergic system, and it is a brain area with a role in the development of obsessive thought patterns, which may be related to addiction. In this study, possible alterations of [(3)H]citalopram binding to serotonin transporter (SERT) were evaluated in the dorsal striatum of Cloninger type 1 and 2 alcoholics, and nonalcoholic control subjects by postmortem whole-hemisphere autoradiography in humans. The SERT binding was significantly lower (-26%, effect size 1.74) in the caudate body of alcoholics. The SERT binding tended to be lower also in the other parts of the dorsal striatum in alcoholics, but the results did not reach significance. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation, especially in type 1 alcoholics, between the SERT binding in the body of the caudate and in the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex, an area in which the SERT binding has been shown to be lower among alcoholics. These results give preliminary evidence to suggest that the SERT binding in the dorsal striatum may be lower in alcoholics, and that the serotonergic system may be affected in cortical and striatal areas simultaneously. The cortico-striatal-thalamic axis may have an important role in fully developed addictions and the characterization of these correlations within the serotonergic system may lead to a better understanding of the anatomical dynamics underlying the neurochemistry of alcoholism.