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Presynaptic Dopamine Dynamics in Striatal Brain Slices with Fast-scan Cyclic Voltammetry
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Discontinuation of citalopram medication and striatal dopamine activity

Raimo K R Salokangas1, Jukka Huttunen, Jarmo Hietala

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku.

International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice
|June 19, 2014
PubMed

A 35-year-old caucasian woman who suffered from major depression with marked psychomotor symptoms was treated with a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI), citalopram. After 16 months successful treatment, the medication was gradually discontinued. One week after stopping citalopram, she experienced lowered mood and unnatural slowness in her movements. These symptoms were associated with low striatal dopamine (DA) activity as measured with baseline and follow-up [(18)F]DOPA PET scans. We suggest that stimulation of serotonergic system in the brain increases dopaminergic activity in the striatum. After cessation of this stimulation, striatal dopaminergic activity may decrease considerably in vulnerable patients and cause transient emotional and psychomotor discontinuation symptoms that disappear spontaneously in a few weeks.

Keywords:
Citaloprambasal gangliadopaminepositron emission tomographyserotonin

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