Brain serotonin 2A receptor binding: relations to body mass index, tobacco and alcohol use

TY - JOUR

T1 - Brain serotonin 2A receptor binding: relations to body mass index, tobacco and alcohol use

AU - Erritzoe, D

AU - Frokjaer, V G

AU - Haugbol, S

AU - Marner, L

AU - Svarer, C

AU - Holst, Klaus Kähler

AU - Baaré, W F C

AU - Rasmussen, P M

AU - Madsen, J

AU - Paulson, O B

AU - Knudsen, G M

N1 - Keywords: Adult; Alcohol Drinking; Body Mass Index; Brain; Female; Humans; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; Impulsive Behavior; Male; Obesity; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Positron-Emission Tomography; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Protein Binding; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A; Smoking

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - Manipulations of the serotonin levels in the brain can affect impulsive behavior and influence our reactivity to conditioned reinforcers. Eating, tobacco smoking, and alcohol consumption are reinforcers that are influenced by serotonergic neurotransmission; serotonergic hypofunction leads to increased food and alcohol intake, and conversely, stimulation of the serotonergic system induces weight reduction and decreased food/alcohol intake as well as tobacco smoking. To investigate whether body weight, alcohol intake and tobacco smoking were related to the regulation of the cerebral serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT(2A)) in humans, we tested in 136 healthy human subjects if body mass index (BMI), degree of alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking was associated to the cerebral in vivo 5-HT(2A) receptor binding as measured with (18)F-altanserin PET. The subjects' BMI's ranged from 18.4 to 42.8 (25.2+/-4.3) kg/m(2). Cerebral cortex 5-HT(2A) binding was significantly positively correlated to BMI, whereas no association between cortical 5-HT(2A) receptor binding and alcohol or tobacco use was detected. We suggest that our observation is driven by a lower central 5-HT level in overweight people, leading both to increased food intake and to a compensatory upregulation of cerebral 5-HT(2A) receptor density.

AB - Manipulations of the serotonin levels in the brain can affect impulsive behavior and influence our reactivity to conditioned reinforcers. Eating, tobacco smoking, and alcohol consumption are reinforcers that are influenced by serotonergic neurotransmission; serotonergic hypofunction leads to increased food and alcohol intake, and conversely, stimulation of the serotonergic system induces weight reduction and decreased food/alcohol intake as well as tobacco smoking. To investigate whether body weight, alcohol intake and tobacco smoking were related to the regulation of the cerebral serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT(2A)) in humans, we tested in 136 healthy human subjects if body mass index (BMI), degree of alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking was associated to the cerebral in vivo 5-HT(2A) receptor binding as measured with (18)F-altanserin PET. The subjects' BMI's ranged from 18.4 to 42.8 (25.2+/-4.3) kg/m(2). Cerebral cortex 5-HT(2A) binding was significantly positively correlated to BMI, whereas no association between cortical 5-HT(2A) receptor binding and alcohol or tobacco use was detected. We suggest that our observation is driven by a lower central 5-HT level in overweight people, leading both to increased food intake and to a compensatory upregulation of cerebral 5-HT(2A) receptor density.

U2 - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.01.050

DO - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.01.050

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 19457377

SN - 1053-8119

VL - 46

SP - 23

EP - 30

JO - NeuroImage

JF - NeuroImage

IS - 1

ER -