altanserin and Depressive-Disorder

Serotonin receptor changes have been associated with the pathophysiology and treatment of major depression. Only one other study has investigated serotonin receptor changes in older depressed patients. We used positron emission tomography (PET) and [18F]altanserin, a ligand with high affinity for the 5-HT(2A) receptor, to examine the relationship between 5-HT(2A) receptor density and depression. Depressed subjects (n = 16), age > 50 years, were recruited as part of a larger study. Older depressed subjects consisted of early-onset recurrent depression (EORD, n = 11) and late-onset depression (LOD, n = 5). An age-matched control group (n = 9) was also recruited. All subjects were right-handed, nonsmokers and antidepressant-free. Regions of interest were determined on a summed MPRAGE scan transformed into Talairach space and coregistered with the PET images. Depressed subjects had less hippocampal 5-HT(2A) receptor binding than controls (p = 0.05). No significant differences in receptor binding were found between EORD and LOD subjects. Depressed subjects not previously treated for depression (n = 6) had less hippocampal 5-HT(2A) receptor binding (p = 0.04) than previously treated subjects (n = 10). It may be that prior medication treatment provides a compensatory upregulation of the 5-HT(2A) receptor.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Brain Mapping; Case-Control Studies; Depressive Disorder; Female; Fluorine Radioisotopes; Hippocampus; Humans; Ketanserin; Male; Middle Aged; Positron-Emission Tomography; Protein Binding; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A

The characteristics of 5HT2 receptor binding were investigated in major depression in vivo using positron emission tomography and the radioligand F-18-altanserin.. Twelve patients from families with high loading of depression living in a geographically restricted region were examined and compared with normal control subjects. At the time of the PET measurement all patients were remitted; in some of them remission was sustained by antidepressive medication. Binding potential was assessed by Logan's graphical analysis method.. The binding of F-18-altanserin was about 38% lower in patients than in healthy controls (p < 0.001). A multiple regression analysis revealed that this difference was mainly induced by depression rather than by medication.. The data suggest that 5HT2 receptors are altered in depression. We present evidence for a reduction of the receptor density, which might be usable as trait marker of subjects susceptible for depressive illness.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aging; Brain; Cerebral Cortex; Depressive Disorder; Female; Fluorine Radioisotopes; Humans; Ketanserin; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Organ Specificity; Pedigree; Receptors, Serotonin; Reference Values; Regression Analysis; Tomography, Emission-Computed

To determine whether there are abnormalities in the in vivo status of the serotonin type 2A (5-HT2A) receptor in late-life depression and Alzheimer's disease, the authors used positron emission tomography (PET) to assess patients with these two conditions and healthy subjects.. PET was performed by using [18F]altanserin to evaluate 5-HT2A receptor binding in 11 elderly patients with depression (four men, seven women; mean age = 65.0 years, SD = 5.5); nine Alzheimer's disease patients, including three with concurrent depression (two men, seven women; mean age = 69.7 years, SD = 5.0); and 10 age-matched healthy subjects (four men, six women; mean age = 69.8 years, SD = 5.0). Partial-volume correction of regional specific binding estimates was performed by using a method based on magnetic resonance imaging.. No significant abnormalities in [18F]altanserin binding (binding potential) were observed in the patients with late-life depression, and no effect of depression on binding potential was present within the Alzheimer's disease group. However, the patients with Alzheimer's disease had significantly lower binding than the normal subjects in several brain regions, including the anterior cingulate, prefrontal cortex, and sensorimotor cortex.. These results suggest that the 5-HT2A receptor is differentially affected in late-life depression and Alzheimer's disease, a finding that has implications for the etiological basis of mood and cognitive features of neuropsychiatric disorders of late life.

Topics: Age Factors; Aged; Alzheimer Disease; Brain; Cerebral Cortex; Depressive Disorder; Female; Fluorine Radioisotopes; Gyrus Cinguli; Humans; Ketanserin; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Prefrontal Cortex; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A; Receptors, Serotonin; Tomography, Emission-Computed

Serotonin receptors may play an important role in the pathophysiology of affective disorders. We studied type-2 serotonin (5-HT2) receptors in the brain of patients with major depression.. Using positron emission tomography (PET) and the selective radioligand [18F]altanserin, we investigated 5-HT2 receptor distribution in eight drug-free unipolar depressed patients and 22 healthy subjects. Data were analysed using Statistical Parametric Mapping 95.. In depressed patients, [18F]altanserin uptake was significantly reduced in a region of the right hemisphere including the posterolateral orbitofrontal cortex and the anterior insular cortex. A trend to similar changes was found in the left hemisphere. No correlation was found between the uptake and the Hamilton rating scale score.. Pathophysiology of depression may involve changes in 5-HT2 receptor in brain regions selectively implicated in mood regulation.

Topics: Brain Diseases; Depressive Disorder; Female; Humans; Ketanserin; Male; Middle Aged; Receptors, Serotonin; Serotonin Antagonists; Tomography, Emission-Computed