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. 2016 Aug;95(33):e4048.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000004048.

Incongruent reduction of dopamine transporter availability in different subgroups of alcohol dependence

Che-Hung Yen  1 , Mei-Chen Shih, Cheng-Yi Cheng, Kuo-Hsing Ma, Ru-Band Lu, San-Yuan Huang
Affiliations

Incongruent reduction of dopamine transporter availability in different subgroups of alcohol dependence

Che-Hung Yen et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Aug.

Abstract

The dopamine transporter (DAT) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence (AD) and major depression (MD), and males have more risk factors for the development of AD. However, imaging studies on brain DAT availability in males with AD comorbid with MD (AD/MD) are limited, and the association of DAT availability with cognitive function and depressive scores in patients with AD/MD has not been analyzed. Hence, this study examined the relationship between brain DAT availability, cognitive function, and depressive symptoms in different subgroups of males with AD.Single-photon emission computed tomography imaging with Tc-TRODAT-1 as a ligand was used to measure striatal DAT availability in 49 patients with AD (28 pure AD and 21 AD/MD) and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were used to assess neurocognitive function and depressive scores, respectively. Patients with AD showed a significant reduction of DAT availability in 3 brain regions (P < 0.001), and this reduction was more pronounced in the patients with pure AD compared to healthy controls. The patients with AD showed significantly poorer performance on the WCST, but only in the control group was DAT availability significantly negatively correlated with total errors and perseverative errors (P < 0.001).These preliminary findings suggest that DAT availability is associated with neurocognitive function, and incongruent reduction of DAT may play a pathophysiological role in different subgroups of AD. In addition, decreased DAT availability may be associated with the severity of depressive symptoms in patients with AD/MD.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The scatter plot of SUR of DAT in caudate, putamen, and striatum calculated from 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT in healthy control individuals (n = 24), alcohol dependence comorbid major depression (n = 21), and pure alcohol dependent subjects (n = 28). (Conservative P value would be 0.05/12 = 0.0042.) Horizontal bars indicate mean value of SUR. DAT = dopamine transporter, SPECT = single-photon emission computed tomography, SUR = specific uptake ratio.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Graph showing correlation of striatal SUR of [99mTc] TRODAT-1 with duration of alcohol dependence (years). Significant association between duration and striatum SUR existed in alcohol-dependent individuals. The coefficient of determination (r2) is 18.9% for the alcohol dependent group (n = 49) between duration and striatum SUR. SUR = specific uptake ratio.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Graph showing correlation of striatal-specific uptake ratio of [99mTc] TRODAT-1 with total errors. Significant correlation between these parameters existed in healthy controls, but not in AD group. AD = alcohol dependence.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Graph showing correlation of striatal SUR of [99mTc] TRODAT-1 with HDRS in AD/MD group. Significant association between HDRS score and striatum SUR existed in AD/MD individuals. The coefficient of determination (r2) is 29.8% for the AD/MD group (n = 21) between HDRS score and striatum SUR. AD/MD = alcohol dependence comorbid major depression, HDRS = 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, SUR = specific uptake ratio.
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