The association between in vivo central noradrenaline transporter availability and trait impulsivity.

The brain noradrenaline (NA) system, particularly NA transporters (NAT), are thought to play an important role in modulating impulsive behavior. Impaired impulsivity is implicated in a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions; however, an in vivo link between central NAT availability and human impulsivity has not been shown. Using positron emission tomography (PET) and S,S-[C]O-methylreboxetine (MRB), we tested whether NAT availability is associated with this basic behavioral trait based on the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) in twenty healthy individuals (12 females, 33.

Test-retest measurements of dopamine D-type receptors using simultaneous PET/MRI imaging.

Purpose: The role of dopamine D-type receptor (DR)-expressing neurons in the regulation of motivated behavior and reward prediction has not yet been fully established. As a prerequisite for future research assessing D-mediated neuronal network regulation using simultaneous PET/MRI and DR-selective [C]SCH23390, this study investigated the stability of central DR measurements between two independent PET/MRI sessions under baseline conditions.

Methods: Thirteen healthy volunteers (7 female, age 33 ± 13 yrs) underwent 90-min emission scans, each after 90-s bolus injection of 486 ± 16 MBq [C]SCH23390, on two separate days within 2-4 weeks using a PET/MRI system.

Post-dexamethasone serum copeptin corresponds to HPA axis responsiveness in human obesity.

Context: Increased activities of the arginine-vasopressin (AVP) system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis were shown to be associated with human obesity, but relationships between these systems in obesity remain unclear.

Objectives: To assess HPA axis responsiveness and its relation to serum concentrations of the AVP-surrogate copeptin in subjects with obesity (OB) in comparison to non-obesity controls (NOC).

Methods: In a cross-sectional monocentric study, thirty-nine OB (f/m 25/14; age 36.

Central noradrenaline transporter availability in highly obese, non-depressed individuals.

Purpose: The brain noradrenaline (NA) system plays an important role in the central nervous control of energy balance and is thus implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity. The specific processes modulated by this neurotransmitter which lead to obesity and overeating are still a matter of debate.

Methods: We tested the hypothesis that in vivo NA transporter (NAT) availability is changed in obesity by using positron emission tomography (PET) and S,S-[C]O-methylreboxetine (MRB) in twenty subjects comprising ten highly obese (body mass index BMI > 35 kg/m), metabolically healthy, non-depressed individuals and ten non-obese (BMI < 30 kg/m) healthy controls.

Effortful control as a dimension of temperament is negatively associated with prefrontal serotonin transporter availability in obese and non-obese individuals.

There is evidence that temperamental factors are associated with obesity; however, the biological mechanism of such association remains elusive. We aimed to investigate a possible association between serotonin transmission and regulative temperament in obese and non-obese individuals by using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of serotonin transporters (SERT) and the Adult Temperament Questionnaire. Twenty-nine obese individuals with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m and 13 non-obese controls (BMI < 30 kg/m ) underwent PET with [ C]-labeled DASB (highly selective for SERT) and self-completed the Effortful Control (EC) scale of the Adult Temperament Questionnaire-Short Form (ATQ).

Primary Intradural Extramedullary Spinal Melanoma in the Lower Thoracic Spine.

Unlabelled: Background Context. Up to date, only four cases of primary intradural extramedullary spinal cord melanoma (PIEM) have been reported. No previous reports have described a case of PIEM located in the lower thoracic spine with long-term follow-up.

Central serotonin transporter availability in highly obese individuals compared with non-obese controls: A [(11)C] DASB positron emission tomography study.

Purpose: The role of the central serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) system in feeding has been extensively studied in animals with the 5-HT family of transporters (5-HTT) being identified as key molecules in the regulation of satiety and body weight. Aberrant 5-HT transmission has been implicated in the pathogenesis of human obesity by in vivo positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging techniques. However, results obtained thus far from studies of central 5-HTT availability have been inconsistent, which is thought to be brought about mainly by the low number of individuals with a high body mass index (BMI) previously used.

Imaging of the brain serotonin transporters (SERT) with 18F-labelled fluoromethyl-McN5652 and PET in humans.

Purpose: [(11)C]DASB is currently the most frequently used highly selective radiotracer for visualization and quantification of central SERT. Its use, however, is hampered by the short half-life of (11)C, the moderate cortical test-retest reliability, and the lack of quantifying endogenous serotonin. Labelling with (18)F allows in principle longer acquisition times for kinetic analysis in brain tissue and may provide higher sensitivity.