Imaging of the Serotonin System: Radiotracers and Applications in Memory Disorders

TY - CHAP

T1 - Imaging of the Serotonin System

T2 - Radiotracers and Applications in Memory Disorders

AU - Knudsen, Gitte Moos

AU - Hasselbalch, Steen G.

PY - 2014/1/1

Y1 - 2014/1/1

N2 - The serotonergic system plays a key modulatory role in the brain and is the target for many drug treatments for brain disorders either through reuptake blockade or via interactions at the 14 subtypes of serotonin (5-HT) receptors. This chapter provides the current status of radioligands used for positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT) imaging of the human brain 5-HT receptors and the 5-HT transporter (SERT) with particular emphasis on the applications in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Currently available radioligands for in vivo brain imaging of the 5-HT system in humans include radiolabelled compounds for the 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT2A, 5-HT4 and to some extent 5-HT6 receptors, and for SERT. Imaging of serotonergic targets in humans has given invaluable insight into the normal brain function and into brain disorders where the serotonergic system is perturbed. One example of the latter is given here. Imaging studies show that the 5-HT1A receptor binding is increased and 5-HT2A receptor binding is decreased in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In early AD, 5-HT4 receptor binding is increased, whereas in early and more advanced AD, SERT and the 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor binding is reduced in a region-specific manner. Future studies should focus on the association between serotonergic dysfunction and symptomatology in order to increase our understanding of the neurobiological background for neuropsychiatric symptoms in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.

AB - The serotonergic system plays a key modulatory role in the brain and is the target for many drug treatments for brain disorders either through reuptake blockade or via interactions at the 14 subtypes of serotonin (5-HT) receptors. This chapter provides the current status of radioligands used for positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT) imaging of the human brain 5-HT receptors and the 5-HT transporter (SERT) with particular emphasis on the applications in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Currently available radioligands for in vivo brain imaging of the 5-HT system in humans include radiolabelled compounds for the 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT2A, 5-HT4 and to some extent 5-HT6 receptors, and for SERT. Imaging of serotonergic targets in humans has given invaluable insight into the normal brain function and into brain disorders where the serotonergic system is perturbed. One example of the latter is given here. Imaging studies show that the 5-HT1A receptor binding is increased and 5-HT2A receptor binding is decreased in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In early AD, 5-HT4 receptor binding is increased, whereas in early and more advanced AD, SERT and the 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor binding is reduced in a region-specific manner. Future studies should focus on the association between serotonergic dysfunction and symptomatology in order to increase our understanding of the neurobiological background for neuropsychiatric symptoms in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-642-42014-6_23

DO - 10.1007/978-3-642-42014-6_23

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 978-3-642-42013-9

SP - 669

EP - 686

BT - PET and SPECT of Neurobiological Systems

A2 - Dierckx, Rudi A.J.O.

A2 - Otte, Andreas

A2 - de Vries, Erik F.J.

A2 - van Waarde, Aren

A2 - Luiten, Paul G.M.

PB - Springer

ER -