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Reduced serotonin transporter binding in binge eating women
J T Kuikka1, L Tammela, L Karhunen
1Department of Clinical Physiology, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland. jkuikka@uku.fi
Rationale:
There is evidence that abnormalities in brain dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin metabolism may play an important role in binge eating. Serotonin-active antidepressant drugs have also been found to decrease binge eating.
Objective:
We investigated serotonin transporter binding in obese binge-eating women. Eleven obese binge-eating and seven obese control women participated in the study. The subjects were not taking any medication known to affect serotonin (5-HT) transporters.
Methods:
We used single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) with the radioligand 123I-labelled nor-beta-CIT, which specifically labels 5-HT transporters.
Results:
Obese binge-eating women showed significantly decreased 5-HT transporter binding in the mid-brain compared with obese controls (2.1 +/- 0.5 versus 2.9 +/- 0.5, respectively).
Conclusions:
SPECT imaging with a ligand specific for 5-HT transporters can be used to assess altered serotonin transporter binding in the living human brain. The results tentatively suggest that 5-HT transporter binding is decreased in binge-eating women.