Serotonin transporter (SERT) imbalances are involved in the pathogenesis of a wide range of neuropsychiatric diseases, including depression. SERT blockers, like citalopram, decrease radioligand binding to the SERT in a dose-dependent manner, as measured with SPECT. In addition to replicating this finding, we show that pharmacological MRI (phMRI) can also detect differences in SERT occupancy with different oral doses of citalopram; higher citalopram plasma levels are associated with lower subsequent changes in the phMRI signal upon an intravenous citalopram challenge. This is important as this non-ionizing technique allows longitudinal assessment of the serotonin system.
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