Serotonin Imaging in Mood Disorders
Summary
Serotonin imaging has emerged as a pivotal tool for unraveling the neurochemical substrates of mood disorders, encompassing major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder and social anxiety. By visualising key components of the serotonergic system in vivo, researchers have elucidated alterations in transporter availability, receptor density and enzymatic activity that underlie affective dysregulation. Positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) studies consistently demonstrate regional reductions in serotonin transporter binding within the midbrain and limbic structures, suggesting impaired reuptake mechanisms. Parallel investigations of monoamine oxidase A reveal elevated enzyme levels in depressed individuals, indicative of increased serotonin catabolism. Advances in radiotracer design have enabled more precise quantification of presynaptic and postsynaptic targets, while genetic imaging studies have begun to link serotonin-related polymorphisms with in vivo measures of neurotransmitter turnover. Collectively, these findings support a multifaceted model in which diminished transporter function, heightened catabolic activity and receptor dysregulation converge to disrupt synaptic serotonin dynamics, ultimately contributing to the pathophysiology of mood disturbances. Ongoing work seeks to integrate longitudinal imaging with clinical outcomes, thereby refining personalised treatment strategies and identifying biomarkers for therapeutic response.
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Serotonin Imaging in Mood Disorders publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in serotonin imaging in mood disorders across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Positron emission tomography (PET): A neuroimaging technique that uses radiolabelled tracers to visualise and quantify molecular targets in the living brain.
Serotonin transporter (SERT): A presynaptic membrane protein responsible for reuptake of serotonin from the synaptic cleft, regulating extracellular neurotransmitter levels.
Monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A): An enzyme that degrades monoamine neurotransmitters, including serotonin, thereby modulating synaptic concentrations.
Dopamine transporter (DAT): A presynaptic protein that mediates the reuptake of dopamine, often imaged alongside serotonin targets to assess monoaminergic balance.
References
- Impact of genetic variants within serotonin turnover enzymes on human cerebral monoamine oxidase A in vivo. Translational Psychiatry (2023).
- Meta-Analysis of Molecular Imaging of Serotonin Transporters in Major Depression. Cerebrovascular and Brain Metabolism Reviews (2014).
- Expectancy effects on serotonin and dopamine transporters during SSRI treatment of social anxiety disorder: a randomized clinical trial. Translational Psychiatry (2021).
- Brain monoamine oxidase A in seasonal affective disorder and treatment with bright light therapy. Translational Psychiatry (2018).
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