Study Report
Reference
| Citation | Meyer, 2001 PubMed |
| Full Info | Meyer, J.H., Kruger, S., Wilson, A.A., Christensen, B.K., Goulding, V.S., Schaffer, A., Minifie, C., Houle, S., Hussey, D. and Kennedy, S.H. (2001) Lower dopamine transporter binding potential in striatum during depression. Neuroreport, 12, 4121-4125.
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Study
| Hypothesis or Background |
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| Sample Information | 9 depressed patients and 23 normal controls. Patients were unmedicated with psychotropics for at least 3 months. |
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| Method Detail | Previous studies suggest that there is a dopamine lowering process during major depressive episodes (MDE). To investigate this, we measured the dopamine transporter binding potential (DAT BP) in the striatum of depressed and healthy subjects using [(11)C]RTI-32 PET. |
| Method Keywords | positron emission tomography (PET); neuropsychological test |
| Result | The DAT, a predominantly presynaptic receptor, decreases in density after chronic dopamine depletion and the BP is proportional to receptor density. In all striatal regions, subjects with MDE had significantly lower DAT BP. Low striatal DAT BP in MDE is consistent with a downregulation of DAT in response to a dopamine lowering process. There was also a strong, highly significant, inverse correlation between striatal DAT BP and neuropsychological tests of dopamine-implicated symptoms in patients (i.e. patients with lower DAT BP performed better). |
| Conclusions | Lower DAT BP itself reduces extracellular clearance of dopamine. Patients who did not decrease their striatal DAT BP failed to compensate for low dopamine and showed greater impairment on dopamine related tests. |
Relationships reported by
Meyer, 2001
| Component A Approved Name (Name in Paper) |
Component A Type |
Component B Approved Name (Name in Paper) |
Component B Type |
Statistical Result |
Relationship Description |
Result Category (Positive/Negative)) |
|
MDD
|
syndrome |
Sodium-dependent dopamine transporter (dopamine transporter) |
protein |
|
Low striatal dopamine transporter binding potential (DAT BP) in major depressive episodes is consistent with a downregulation of DAT (dopamine transporter) . |
Positive
|
|
Dopamine (dopamine)
|
molecule |
Sodium-dependent dopamine transporter (dopamine transporter) |
protein |
|
Lower dopamine transporter binding potential (DAT BP) itself reduces extracellular clearance of dopamine. |
Positive
|
|
MDD
|
syndrome |
Dopamine (dopamine) |
molecule |
|
Low striatal dopamine transporter binding potential (DAT BP) in major depressive episodes is consistent with a downregulation of DAT (dopamine transporter) in response to a dopamine lowering process. |
Positive
|
