Increased Serotonin and Dopamine Transporter Binding in Psychotropic Medication–Naïve Patients with Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder Shown by¹²³I-β-(4-Iodophenyl)-Tropane SPECT

Abstract

UNLABELLED: There is circumstantial evidence for the involvement of serotonergic and dopaminergic systems in the pathophysiology of social anxiety disorder. In the present study, using SPECT imaging we examined the (123)I-beta-(4-iodophenyl)-tropane binding potential for the serotonin and dopamine transporters in patients with a generalized social anxiety disorder and in age- and sex-matched healthy controls. METHODS: Twelve psychotropic medication-naïve patients with social anxiety disorder, generalized type (5 women and 7 men) and 12 sex- and age-matched healthy controls were studied. Volumes of interest were constructed on MRI-coregistered SPECT scans. Binding ratios were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Possible correlations between binding patterns and symptomatology were assessed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Significantly higher binding potentials were found for the serotonin in the left and right thalamus of patients. Patients had also a significantly higher binding potential for the dopamine transporter in the striatum. CONCLUSION: The present study provided direct evidence for abnormalities in both the dopaminergic and the serotonergic systems in patients with generalized social anxiety disorder.