Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Sep;17(9):608-15.
doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2007.03.007. Epub 2007 May 2.

Positron emission tomography study of regional brain metabolic responses to a serotonergic challenge in major depressive disorder with and without comorbid lifetime alcohol dependence

Leo Sher  1 , Matthew S Milak, Ramin V Parsey, Juan J Carballo, Thomas B Cooper, Kevin M Malone, Maria A Oquendo, J John Mann
Affiliations

Positron emission tomography study of regional brain metabolic responses to a serotonergic challenge in major depressive disorder with and without comorbid lifetime alcohol dependence

Leo Sher et al. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2007 Sep.

Abstract

This is the first study contrasting regional glucose metabolic rate (rCMRglu) responses to a serotonergic challenge in major depressive disorder (MDD) with and without comorbid alcohol dependence. In a university hospital, patients with MDD without a history of alcohol dependence (MDD only) and patients with MDD and comorbid alcohol dependence (MDD/ALC) were enrolled in this study. Subjects with comorbid borderline personality disorder were excluded. A bolus injection of approximately 5 mCi of (18)fluorodeoxyglucose was administered 3 h after the administration of placebo or fenfluramine. We found an anterior medial prefrontal cortical area where MDD/ALC subjects had more severe hypofrontality than MDD only patients. This area encompassed the left medial frontal and left and right anterior cingulate gyri. This group difference disappeared after fenfluramine administration. The fact that the observed group difference disappeared after the fenfluramine challenge suggests that serotonergic mechanisms play a role in the observed differences between the groups.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Areas of greater relative regional cerebral metabolis, rate for glucose (rCMRglu) in depressed subjects without comorbid alcohol dependence compared to depressed subjects with comorbid alcohol dependence. [Table: see text]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Agren H, Reibring L. PET studies of presynaptic monoamine metabolism in depressed patients and healthy volunteers. Pharmacopsychiatry. 1994;27:2–6. - PubMed
    1. American Psychiatric Association . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) APA Press; Washington, DC: 1994.
    1. Anderson AD, Oquendo MA, Parsey RV, Milak MS, Campbell C, Mann JJ. Regional brain responses to serotonin in major depressive disorder. J. Affect. Disord. 2004;82(3):411–417. - PubMed
    1. Arango V, Underwood MD, Gubbi AV, Mann JJ. Localized alterations in pre- and postsynaptic serotonin binding sites in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex of suicide victims. Brain Res. 1995;688(1-2):121–133. - PubMed
    1. Arbuckle TY, Chaikelson JS, Gold DP. Social drinking and cognitive functioning revisited: the role of intellectual endowment and psychological distress. J. Stud. Alcohol. 1994;55(3):352–361. - PubMed

Publication types