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 Jul;32(4):234-40.

[I-123] ADAM and SPECT in patients with borderline personality disorder and healthy control subjects

Walter Koch  1 , Nadine Schaaff, Gabriele Pöpperl, Christoph Mulert, Georg Juckel, Markus Reicherzer, Christoff Ehmer-von Geiso, Hans-Jürgen Möller, Ulrich Hegerl, Klaus Tatsch, Oliver Pogarell
Affiliations

[I-123] ADAM and SPECT in patients with borderline personality disorder and healthy control subjects

Walter Koch et al. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2007 Jul.

Abstract
in English, French

Objective: Serotonergic dysfunction is considered to be involved in the pathophysiology of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The aim of this study was to investigate serotonin transporter availability in patients with BPD as a marker of the central serotonergic system.

Methods: Eight unmedicated patients with BPD and 9 healthy control subjects received single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) 4 hours after injection of 185 MBq [I-123] ADAM (2-([2-([dimethylamino]methyl)phenyl]thio)). As a measure of brain serotonin transporter (SERT) availability, ratios of specific-to-nonspecific [I-123] ADAM binding for the brainstem and hypothalamus were calculated with an occipital reference. Levels of impulsiveness and depressive symptoms were assessed with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory.

Results: Mean specific-to-nonspecific ratios showed a 43% higher brainstem and a 12% higher hypothalamus ADAM binding in patients, compared with control subjects. We found significant correlations of ADAM binding with both age and impulsiveness but not depression. Associations of BIS scores with ADAM binding remained significant after controlling for age and depression (r = 0.69, p < 0.01).

Conclusion: The study provides evidence of a serotonergic dysfunction in patients with BPD and suggests a serotonergic component in the pathophysiology of the disorder. SERT binding reflected the level of impulsiveness as a common feature in BPD.

Objectif: On considère que le dysfonctionnement sérotoninergique joue un rôle dans la pathophysiologie du trouble de personnalité limite (TPL). Cette étude visait à étudier, chez les patients atteints d'un TPL, la disponibilité du transporteur de la sérotonine comme marqueur du système sérotoninergique central.

Méthodes: Huit patients atteints d'un TPL qui ne prenaient pas de médicament et neuf sujets témoins en bonne santé ont été soumis à une tomographie d'émission monophotonique (TEM) 4 heures après avoir reçu par injection 185 MBq [I-123] d'ADAM (2-([2-([dimethylamino]methyl)phenyl]thio)). Pour mesurer la disponibilité du transporteur de la sérotonine dans le cerveau (SERT), on a calculé des ratios de fixation spécifique:non spécifique [I-123] d'ADAM dans le tronc cérébral et l'hypothalamus en utilisant un point de référence occipital. On a évalué les niveaux d'impulsivité et de symptômes dépressifs au moyen de l'échelle d'impulsivité de Barratt (EIB) et du questionnaire de dépression de Beck.

Résultats: Les ratios de fixation spécifique:non spécifique moyens ont montré que la fixation de l'ADAM était plus élevée de 43 % dans le tronc cérébral et de 12 % dans l'hypothalamus chez les patients comparativement aux sujets témoins. Nous avons constaté des liens importants entre la fixation de l'ADAM et à la fois l'âge et l'impulsivité, mais non la dépression. Les liens entre les résultats de l'EIB et la fixation de l'ADAM sont demeurés importants compte tenu de l'âge et de la dépression (r = 0,69, p < 0,01).

Conclusion: L'étude présente des preuves de dysfonctionnement sérotoninergique chez les patients atteints de TPL et indique la présence d'un élément sérotoninergique dans la pathophysiologie du trouble. La fixation du SERT reflète le niveau d'impulsivité, caractéristique très commune dans les cas de TPL.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

None
Fig. 1: [I-123] ADAM (2-([2-([dimethylamino]methyl)phenyl]thio)) SPECT template used for the automated semi-quantification. Image fusion (A) with the MRI and the 3D volume of interest map (B) derived from the MRI scan. Delineation of the region of interest (brainstem, hypothalamus) and the nonspecific occipital reference region.
None
Fig. 2: Specific [123-I] ADAM (2-([2-([dimethylamino]-methyl)-phenyl]thio)) brainstem binding in healthy control subjects and patients with borderline personality disorder.
None
Fig. 3: Correlation of [123-I] ADAM (2-([2-([dimethylamino]-methyl)phenyl]thio)) brainstem binding with the total score of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale for the entire study population (patients = filled circles, control subjects = open circles).
None
Fig. 4: Scatterplot of [123-I] ADAM (2-([2-([dimethylamino]-methyl)phenyl]thio)) brainstem binding and the scores of the Beck Depression Inventory for the study population (patients = filled circles, control subjects = open circles).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Skodol AE, Gunderson JG, Pfohl B, et al. The borderline diagnosis I: psychopathology, comorbidity, and personality structure. Biol Psychiatry 2002;51:936-50. - PubMed
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington: The Association; 1994.
    1. Torgersen S, Kringlen E, Cramer V. The prevalence of personality disorders in a community sample. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2001;58:590-6. - PubMed
    1. Soloff PH, Lynch KG, Kelly TM, et al. Characteristics of suicide attempts of patients with major depressive episode and borderline personality disorder: a comparative study. Am J Psychiatry 2000;157:601-8. - PubMed
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with borderline personality disorder. Am J Psychiatry 2001;158(10S):1-52. - PubMed

Publication types

Substances