Toggle Main Menu Toggle Search

Open Access padlockePrints

A study of the serotonin transporter in the prefrontal cortex in late-life depression and Alzheimer's disease with and without depression

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Alan ThomasORCiD, Dr Margaret Piggott, Emeritus Professor Nicol Ferrier, Emeritus Professor Elaine Perry, Professor John O'Brien

Downloads

Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.


Abstract

Previous studies investigating the serotonin transporter (SERT) in depression have been inconsistent and included a large proportion of subjects who had committed suicide. In Alzheimer's disease studies have generally reported a reduction in SERT density but have not compared Alzheimer's disease subjects with and without comorbid major depression. We conducted a post mortem study of SERT density in the prefrontal cortex in normal elderly, a group of elderly depressed subjects and in Alzheimer's disease subjects with and without major depression. A post mortem study comparing SERT density in the prefrontal cortex in elderly controls (n = 10), subjects with major depression (n = 8) and subjects with Alzheimer's disease with (n = 9) and without (n = 5) comorbid major depression. We used autoradiography to measure the density of [3H]CN-IMI binding (non-specific binding determined with citalopram) to the SERT in the prefrontal cortex. We found a marked reduction in specific SERT binding in the prefrontal cortex in Alzheimer's disease subjects compared with both control (P = 0.002) and depressed subjects (P = 0.004) but no difference in SERT binding between depressed and control subjects or between Alzheimer's disease subjects with and without depression. Our study confirms previous reports of a reduction in SERT binding in Alzheimer's disease but indicates this reduction is not greater in Alzheimer's disease subjects who also have had major depression. In a group of subjects more typical of late-life depression we did not identify any alterations in SERT density. © 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Thomas AJ, Hendriksen M, Piggott M, Ferrier IN, Perry E, Ince P, O'Brien JT

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology

Year: 2006

Volume: 32

Issue: 3

Pages: 296-303

ISSN (print): 0305-1846

ISSN (electronic): 1365-2990

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2990.2006.00728.x

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2990.2006.00728.x

PubMed id: 16640648


Altmetrics

Altmetrics provided by Altmetric


Funding

Funder referenceFunder name
G0400074Medical Research Council
G0502157Medical Research Council

Share