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. 2007 Nov;32(6):430-4.

In vivo measurements of brain trapping of C-labelled alpha-methyl-L-tryptophan during acute changes in mood states

Elisabeth Perreau-Linck  1 , Mario Beauregard, Paul Gravel, Vincent Paquette, Jean-Paul Soucy, Mirko Diksic, Chawki Benkelfat
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In vivo measurements of brain trapping of C-labelled alpha-methyl-L-tryptophan during acute changes in mood states

Elisabeth Perreau-Linck et al. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2007 Nov.

Abstract
in English, French

Background: Little is known about the specific contribution of serotonin (5-HT) to the neurobiology of emotion and mood in healthy people. In an exploratory study, we sought to investigate the effect of rapid and sustained changes of emotional state on the trapping of 11C-labelled alpha-methyl-L-tryptophan (11C-alphaMtrp) used as a proxy of 5-HT synthesis, using positron emission tomography (PET).

Method: In a within-subject repeated-measure design, participants recalled autobiographical memories to self-induce sadness, happiness and a neutral emotional state during scanning to measure brain trapping of 11C-alphaMtrp. Three separate scan acquisitions, counterbalanced for order across subjects, took place at the McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montréal.

Results: Whole brain analysis revealed positive and negative correlations between experienced levels of emotions and 11C-alphaMtrp trapping in the right anterior cingulate cortex.

Conclusion: These findings point to a mechanism whereby state-related changes in a proxy of 5-HT synthesis underscore aspects of the self-regulation of normal mood.

Contexte: La contribution spécifique de la sérotonine (5-HT) à la neurobiologie des émotions et de l'humeur chez des sujets sains est peu connue. Dans le cadre d'une étude exploratoire en tomographie par émission de positons, nous avons entrepris d'étudier l'effet d'un changement aigu et soutenu de l'état émotionnel sur le taux de capture de l'α-méthyl-L-tryptophane marqué au 11C (11C-αMtrp), liguant employé comme indicateur de la synthèse de 5-HT.

Méthode: Selon un devis expérimental intra-sujet à mesures répétées, les participants se remémoraient des souvenirs autobiographiques afin d'autoinduire la tristesse, la joie et un état émotionnel neutre lors de l'acquisition de scanographies mesurant la capture de l'11C-αMtrp. Trois acquisitions en TEP, contrebalancés à travers les sujets, ont été réalisées au Centre d'Imagerie Cérébrale McConnell de Montréal.

Résultats: Une analyse du cerveau complet a révélé des corrélations positives et négatives dans le cortex antérieur cingulaire droit entre la capture d'11C-αMtrp et l'intensité émotionnelle subjective.

Conclusion: Ses résultats suggèrent l'existence d'un mécanisme par lequel les variations du taux de capture de l'11C-αMtrp reliés aux changements d'états émotionnels mettent en évidence des aspects de l'autorégulation de l'humeur normale.

Keywords: brain; depression; emotions; gyrus, cingulate; positron emission tomography; serotonin; tryphophan.

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Figures

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Fig. 1: Correlation maps visualizing significant negative correlations between the reported level of sadness and K* in (a) the subcallosal area of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (Brodmann's Area [BA] 25) and a significant positive correlation between the reported level of happiness and K* in (b) in the right ACC (BA 32). All images represent sagittal sections for the data averaged across subjects.
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