Greater Availability of Brain Dopamine Transporters in
Major Depression Shown by [(99m)Tc]TRODAT-1 SPECT Imaging
by
Brunswick DJ, Amsterdam JD,
Mozley PD, Newberg A.
Am J Psychiatry. 2003 Oct;160(10):1836-41

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Studies of laboratory animals have shown that administration of antidepressants of all pharmacological classes produces changes in dopamine transporter binding affinity. These observations suggest that dopamine transporter function may play a critical role in the pathophysiology of depression. The present study was an examination of the availability of brain dopamine transporter sites in patients with major depression and in healthy comparison subjects. METHOD: Single photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) brain scans were acquired for 15 drug-free depressed patients and 46 age- and gender-matched healthy comparison subjects by using [(99m)Tc]TRODAT-1, a selective dopamine transporter imaging agent. Specific regions of interest in the basal ganglia and supratentorial areas of the brain were examined. Specific uptake values of dopamine transporter [(99m)Tc]TRODAT-1 binding affinity were calculated from the SPECT scan data, and the values for the patients and healthy subjects were compared. RESULTS: The specific uptake values of [(99m)Tc]TRODAT-1 binding were significantly higher in the right anterior putamen (23%), right posterior putamen (36%), left posterior putamen (18%), and left caudate nucleus (12%) of the patients than in the comparison subjects. These differences persisted when the data were further analyzed according to gender and age. CONCLUSIONS: Dopamine transporter affinity may be higher than normal in the basal ganglia of depressed patients. These findings suggest that dopamine function may be altered in depression and may also be a mechanism of antidepressant activity.

D1
Dopamine: structure
The nucleus accumbens
The dopamine transporter
Dopamine knock-out mice
The pleasure and the pain
Dopamine, pleasure and pain
Dopamine and sleepless nights
Dopamine and reward signalling
Depression, dopamine and dextroamphetamine
Mesolimbic medium spiny neurons and pleasure
Regulation of synapses in the nucleus accumbens
Depression and the mesolimbic dopamine system
The nucleus accumbens: opioids versus cannabinoids
The mesolimbic dopamine reward circuit in depression
Dopamine, depression and dopaminergic antidepressants
Highly motivated hyperdopaminergic mutant mice aren't any happier

Refs
and further reading

HOME
HedWeb
Nootropics
cocaine.wiki
Future Opioids
BLTC Research
MDMA/Ecstasy
Superhapiness?
Utopian Surgery?
The Abolitionist Project
The Hedonistic Imperative
The Reproductive Revolution
Critique of Huxley's Brave New World

The Good Drug Guide
The Responsible Parent's Guide
To Healthy Mood Boosters For All The Family