5-HT(1A) receptor and 5-HTT binding during the menstrual cycle in healthy women examined with [(11)C] WAY100635 and [(11)C] MADAM PET.

The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of the menstrual cycle phases on 5-HT(1A) receptor and 5-HTT binding potentials (BPs) in healthy women by using positron emission tomography (PET). Women were investigated in the follicular and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle with radioligands [(11)C]WAY10035 (n=13) and [(11)C]MADAM (n=8) to study 5-HT(1A) and 5-HTT BPs. The BPs values were quantified using the simplified reference tissue model. The phases of the menstrual cycle were characterized by transvaginal ultrasound (TSV) and plasma levels of hormones estradiol (E(2)), progesterone (P(4)), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).The 5-HT(1A) receptor and 5-HTT BPs did not significantly differ between follicular and luteal phases in any of the investigated regions. There were no significant correlations between the change in E(2) or P(4) values with the change in 5-HT(1A) receptor or 5-HTT BPs. The results provide principally a new in vivo finding in human female biology, suggesting the absence of influence of menstrual cycle phase on 5-HT(1A) receptors or 5-HTT. The finding however does not preclude that gonadal hormones differentially influence central serotonin system inwomen and men, which might contribute to gender differences in serotonin-associated disorders.

Sex differences in the serotonin 1A receptor and serotonin transporter binding in the human brain measured by PET.

Women and men differ in serotonin associated psychiatric conditions, such as depression, anxiety and suicide. Despite this, very few studies focus on sex differences in the serotonin system. Of the biomarkers in the serotonin system, serotonin(1A) (5-HT(1A)) receptor is implicated in depression, and anxiety and serotonin transporter (5-HTT) is a target for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, psychotropic drugs used in the treatment of these disorders. The objective of the present study was to study sex related differences in the 5-HT(1A) receptor and 5-HTT binding potentials (BP(ND)s) in healthy humans, in vivo. Positron emission tomography and selective radioligands [(11)C]WAY100635 and [(11)C]MADAM were used to evaluate binding potentials for 5-HT(1A) receptors (14 women and 14 men) and 5-HTT (8 women and 10 men). The binding potentials were estimated both on the level of anatomical regions and voxel wise, derived by the simplified reference tissue model and wavelet/Logan plot parametric image techniques respectively. Compared to men, women had significantly higher 5-HT(1A) receptor and lower 5-HTT binding potentials in a wide array of cortical and subcortical brain regions. In women, there was a positive correlation between 5-HT(1A) receptor and 5-HTT binding potentials for the region of hippocampus. Sex differences in 5-HT(1A) receptor and 5-HTT BP(ND) may reflect biological distinctions in the serotonin system contributing to sex differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. The result of the present study may help in understanding sex differences in drug treatment responses to drugs affecting the serotonin system.

A PET study of 5-HT1A receptors at different phases of the menstrual cycle in women with premenstrual dysphoria.

The cause of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is largely unknown. It has been hypothesized that normal ovarian function triggers PMDD-related biochemical events within the brain and that serotonin plays an important role. In the present study, positron emission tomography (PET) and [carbonyl-(11)C]WAY-100635 were used to examine serotonin 5-HT(1A) receptors in a control group of women and in a group of women with PMDD. Two PET examinations were performed in each subject, one before (follicular phase) and one after ovulation (luteal phase). Each subject's menstrual cycle was confirmed by ultrasonography of the ovaries as well as with hormone levels in blood and urine. The 5-HT(1A) binding potential was measured in six regions of interest and calculated according to the simplified reference tissue model. In the raphe nuclei, the 5-HT(1A) binding potential changed from the follicular to the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle in asymptomatic controls. In women with PMDD, the observed change between phases was significantly smaller. The results are in concordance with previously reported challenge studies of 5-HT(1A) receptor-mediated effects indicating different serotonergic responses between women with PMDD and controls. The study principally provides new support, in vivo, for a serotonergic dysregulation in women with PMDD.