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Elevated central serotonin transporter binding availability in acutely abstinent cocaine-dependent patients
L K Jacobsen1, J K Staley, R T Malison
1Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. leslie.jacobsen@yale.edu
The American Journal of Psychiatry
|June 30, 2000
Summary
Cocaine dependence is linked to serotonin transporter changes in the brain during early withdrawal. These findings highlight potential targets for addiction treatment and underscore age-related differences in brainstem serotonin transporter binding.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Serotonergic neurotransmission plays a key role in the brain's adaptation to chronic cocaine use.
- Acute abstinence from cocaine is a critical period associated with a high risk of relapse.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate evidence of serotonergic dysfunction during acute cocaine abstinence.
- To examine serotonin transporter (SERT) availability in cocaine-dependent individuals compared to healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Utilized [(123)I]beta-CIT and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to measure SERT binding availability.
- Assessed 15 cocaine-dependent subjects during acute abstinence and 37 healthy comparison subjects.
Main Results:
- Cocaine-dependent subjects showed significant increases in diencephalic (16.7%) and brainstem (31.6%) SERT binding.
- Brainstem SERT binding was inversely correlated with age across all participants.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the presence of serotonergic dysfunction in individuals during acute abstinence from chronic cocaine use.
- Age-related decreases in brainstem SERT binding may contribute to the reduced efficacy of SSRIs in elderly depressed patients.