SPECT imaging of serotonin transporter binding in patients with generalized anxiety disorder

The purpose of this study was to characterize the binding properties of serotonin transporter (5-HTT) in the brain of the patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in comparison to healthy subjects using single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) with the radioligand [123I]nor-beta-CIT. The subjects were 7 patients with GAD and 7 matched healthy volunteers. The regions of interest (ROI) were the midbrain and the thalamus. The comparison of the volumes of distribution did not show significant differences between the patients and controls in the binding of nor-beta-CIT to 5-HTT in the ROI. Binding of 5-HTT in the midbrain of patients was significantly and negatively correlated with their anxiety levels measured by the visual analogue scale immediately before the first scan (r=-0.79, p=0.035). This study failed to demonstrate an altered functional activity of 5-HTT in patients with GAD when compared with controls.