Brain Serotonin Transporter Is Elevated in Obesity: Bayesian and Frequentist Meta-Analyses

The brain plays a critical role in controlling energy balance. Previous studies have mainly focused on dopaminergic mechanisms, whereas much less attention has been paid to serotonin during the emergence of overweight and obesity. Therefore, this study investigated the association between serotonin transporter (SERT) availability and obesity using frequentist and Bayesian meta-analyses.

A systematic search was conducted for PET and SPECT studies comparing brain SERT availability between obese and non-obese individuals. Five studies comprising 142 obese and 115 non-obese participants were included. Bayesian models and frequentist meta-analyses were applied. Meta-regression was conducted to examine the potential moderators, including radiopharmaceuticals and body mass index.

In the frequentist meta-analysis, the pooled standardised mean difference in SERT availability was significantly different between subjects with and without obesity (0.2675, 0.0075-0.5275, p = 0.0437, I ² = 0%), suggesting that subjects with obesity had higher brain SERT availability than those without obesity. However, in the Bayesian model, the 95% credible interval for the standardised mean difference crossed zero, and no substantial differences were observed across studies, radiopharmaceuticals, and regions of interest.

A modest elevation in brain SERT availability in subjects with obesity was supported by frequentist meta-analysis, but this finding was not conclusively supported by Bayesian hierarchical modelling. These mixed results suggest a potential role of altered SERT dynamics in the neurobiology of obesity, but strongly underscore the need for larger, highly powered investigations to definitively establish this relationship.