Altered serotonin transporter binding potential in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder under escitalopram treatment: [11C]DASB PET study

E. Kim, O. D. Howes, J. W. Park, S. N. Kim, S. A. Shin, B. H. Kim, F. E. Turkheimer, Y. S. Lee, J. S. Kwon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic, relapsing mental illness. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors block serotonin transporters (SERTs) and are the mainstay of treatment for OCD. SERT abnormalities are reported in drug-free patients with OCD, but it is not known what happens to SERT levels during treatment. This is important as alterations in SERT levels in patients under treatment could underlie poor response, or relapse during or after treatment. The aim of the present study was first to validate a novel approach to measuring SERT levels in people taking treatment and then to investigate SERT binding potential (BP) using [11C]DASB PET in patients with OCD currently treated with escitalopram in comparison with healthy controls. Method Twelve patients and age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. The patients and healthy controls underwent serial PET scans after administration of escitalopram and blood samples for drug concentrations were collected simultaneously with the scans. Drug-free BPs were obtained by using an inhibitory E max model we developed previously. Results The inhibitory E max model was able to accurately predict drug-free SERT BP in people taking drug treatment. The drug-free BP in patients with OCD currently treated with escitalopram was significantly different from those in healthy volunteers [Cohen's d = 0.03 (caudate), 1.16 (putamen), 1.46 (thalamus), -5.67 (dorsal raphe nucleus)]. Conclusions This result extends previous findings showing SERT abnormalities in drug-free patients with OCD by indicating that altered SERT availability is seen in OCD despite treatment. This could account for poor response and the high risk of relapse in OCD.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)357-366
Number of pages10
JournalPsychological Medicine
Volume46
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015.

Keywords

  • Anxiety disorder
  • SSRI
  • molecular imaging
  • obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • serotonin transporter

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