Abstract
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is highly prevalent with rates of 1–6% and greater prevalence at more extreme latitudes; however, there are almost no direct brain investigations of this disorder. In health, serotonin transporter binding potential (5-HTT BPND), an index of 5-HTT levels, is greater throughout the brain in fall-winter compared with spring-summer. We hypothesized that in SAD, this seasonal variation would be greater in brain regions containing structures that regulate affect such as the prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices (PFC and ACC). Furthermore, given the dimensional nature of SAD symptoms, it was hypothesized that seasonal fluctuation of 5-HTT BPND in the PFC and ACC would be greatest in severe SAD. Twenty SAD and twenty healthy participants underwent [11C]DASB positron emission tomography scans in summer and winter to measure seasonal variation in [11C]DASB 5-HTT BPND. Seasonal increases in [11C]DASB 5-HTT BPND were greater in SAD compared with healthy in the PFC and ACC, primarily due to differences between severe SAD and healthy (severe SAD vs healthy; Mann–Whitney U, U=42.5 and 37.0, p=0.005 and 0.003, respectively; greater magnitude in severe SAD of 35.10 and 14.23%, respectively), with similar findings observed in other regions (U=40.0–62.0, p=0.004–0.048; greater magnitude in severe SAD of 13.16–17.49%). To our knowledge, this is the first brain biomarker identified in SAD. This creates a new opportunity for phase 0 studies to target this phenotype and optimize novel prevention/treatment strategies for SAD.
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Acknowledgements
This research received project support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) (grant number: RN158849-274056) and student salary support from Brain Canada. We thank the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute; technicians Alvina Ng, Laura Nguyen, Anusha Ravichandran and Hillary Bruce; chemistry staff Armando Garcia, Winston Stableford, and Min Wong; and engineers Terry Bell and Ted Harris-Brandts for their assistance with this project.
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Tyrer, A., Levitan, R., Houle, S. et al. Increased Seasonal Variation in Serotonin Transporter Binding in Seasonal Affective Disorder. Neuropsychopharmacol 41, 2447–2454 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2016.54
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2016.54
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