Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0851184 (thinning)
 11,252 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Animal data indicate that the recreational drug ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) can damage brain serotonin neurons. However, human neuroimaging measurements of serotonin transporter binding, a serotonin neuron marker, remain contradictory, especially regarding brain areas affected; and the possibility that structural brain differences might account for serotonin transporter binding changes has not been explored. We measured brain serotonin transporter binding using [(11)C] N,N-dimethyl-2-(2-amino-4-cyanophenylthio) benzylamine in 50 control subjects and in 49 chronic (mean 4 years) ecstasy users (typically one to two tablets bi-monthly) withdrawn from the drug (mean 45 days). A magnetic resonance image for positron emission tomography image co-registration and structural analyses was acquired. Hair toxicology confirmed group allocation but also indicated use of other psychoactive drugs in most users. Serotonin transporter binding in ecstasy users was significantly decreased throughout all cerebral cortices (range -19 to -46%) and hippocampus (-21%) and related to the extent of drug use (years, maximum dose), but was normal in basal ganglia and midbrain. Substantial overlap was observed between control and user values except for insular cortex, in which 51% of ecstasy user values fell below the lower limit of the control range. Voxel-based analyses confirmed a caudorostral gradient of cortical serotonin transporter binding loss with occipital cortex most severely affected. Magnetic resonance image measurement revealed no overall regional volume differences between groups; however, a slight left-hemispheric biased cortical thinning was detected in methamphetamine-using ecstasy users. The serotonin transporter binding loss was not related to structural changes or partial volume effect, use of other stimulant drugs, blood testosterone or oestradiol levels, major serotonin transporter gene promoter polymorphisms, gender, psychiatric status, or self-reported hyperthermia or tolerance. The ecstasy group, although 'grossly behaviourally normal', reported subnormal mood and demonstrated generally modest deficits on some tests of attention, executive function and memory, with the latter associated with serotonin transporter decrease. Our findings suggest that the 'typical'/low dose (one to two tablets/session) chronic ecstasy-polydrug user might display a highly selective mild to marked loss of serotonin transporter in cerebral cortex/hippocampus in the range of that observed in Parkinson's disease, which is not gender-specific or completely accounted for by structural brain changes, recent use of other drugs (as assessed by hair analyses) or other potential confounds that we could address. The striking sparing of serotonin transporter-rich striatum (although possibly affected in 'heavier' users) suggests that serotonergic neurons innervating cerebral cortex are more susceptible, for unknown reasons, to ecstasy than those innervating subcortical regions and that behavioural problems in some ecstasy users during abstinence might be related to serotonin transporter changes limited to cortical regions.
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PMID:Decreased cerebral cortical serotonin transporter binding in ecstasy users: a positron emission tomography/[(11)C]DASB and structural brain imaging study. 2048 17

The familial nature of major depressive disorder (MDD) is now well recognized. We followed children and grandchildren of probands with and without MDD to examine transmission of depression over generations, and to identify early vulnerability markers prior to the onset of disease. The study now includes three generations and five completed assessment waves spanning 25 years, with a sixth wave underway. Beginning with the fourth wave, we collected measures of brain structure (magnetic resonance imaging, MRI) and physiology (electroencephalography, EEG) and DNA in order to examine at a biological level why the offspring of depressed parents were at higher risk. In this paper, we provide an overview of the study design, the main findings, including new data, and the role of the high-risk design in translational research. We demonstrate that offspring of depressed parents ('high-risk'), when compared with those of non-depressed parents ('low-risk'), were at increased risk for depressive and anxiety disorders, with anxiety appearing earlier and being a predisposing factor for MDD. Offspring with two generations previously affected were at greatest risk. Thinning of the cortical mantle (MRI) and reduced resting-state activity (EEG) within the right parieto-temporal hemisphere differentiated high- from low-risk offspring, regardless of whether the offspring had MDD, suggesting that these measures might serve as familial trait markers for depression and related syndromes. The high- and low-risk offspring also differed by serotonin transporter promoter length polymorphism genotypes, even though the same genotypes were not associated with the presence of MDD. The high-risk epidemiological design appears to be a particularly valuable asset in translational research as it allows targeting of biological processes that emerge prior to the onset of disease, and identifies individuals at high risk for the disorder who may carry the trait or marker but not yet be affected.
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PMID:Using the high-risk family design to identify biomarkers for major depression. 2344 Apr 63