Rationale: Serotonin (5-HT) is involved in the control of eating behaviour by inhibiting food intake. Obese women with binge-eating disorder (OB-BED) were recently found to have reduced 5-HT transporter binding.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a successful treatment on 5-HT transporters in OB-BED.

Methods: The 5-HT transporter binding of seven OB-BED was measured by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), by using iodine-123-labelled nor-beta-CIT as a tracer, before treatment and after successful treatment, when the OB-BED were asymptomatic. Treatment consisted of group psychotherapy and fluoxetine medication. The control subjects, six obese women without eating disorders, were also studied twice by using SPECT.

Results: The 5-HT transporter binding of the symptomatically recovered OB-BED increased significantly (24+/-22%) after treatment, whereas in the control group, binding remained unchanged.

Conclusions: The results tentatively suggest that 5-HT transporter binding in OB-BED is an adaptive mechanism, which can be affected by treatment. Furthermore, there seems to be a link between improved 5-HT transporter binding and reduced binge eating.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-003-1519-6DOI Listing

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