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Brain serotonin transporter density and aggression in abstinent methamphetamine abusers.
Yoshimoto Sekine1, Yasuomi Ouchi, Nori Takei
1Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Shizuoka, Japan. ysekine@hama-med.ac.jp
Archives of General Psychiatry
|January 4, 2006
Summary
Methamphetamine abuse can damage brain serotonin transporters, leading to increased aggression even after abstinence. This study found lower serotonin transporter density in abusers, linked to drug use duration and aggression levels.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
Background:
- Methamphetamine (MA) is neurotoxic to serotonin neurons in animals, impacting mood and aggression.
- The effect of MA on human serotonin neurons remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine serotonin neuron status in abstinent MA abusers.
- To correlate neuron status with clinical characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Case-control study comparing 12 MA abusers and 12 controls.
- Positron emission tomography (PET) with [(11)C](+)McN-5652 to measure serotonin transporter (SERT) density.
- Region-of-interest and statistical parametric mapping analyses.
Main Results:
- MA abusers exhibited higher aggression than controls.
- Significantly lower global brain SERT density was observed in MA abusers, inversely correlated with MA use duration.
- Orbitofrontal, temporal, and anterior cingulate SERT density correlated with aggression magnitude.
Conclusions:
- Chronic MA abuse may lead to reduced brain SERT density.
- This reduction is associated with heightened aggression, persisting even after abstinence.