Probing the mechanism of reduced serotonin transporter densities in autistic brains : a postmortem brain study

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Emerging evidence from neuroimaging study using positron emission tomography (PET) suggests reduced serotonin transporter (SERT) densities in the brains of subjects with autism. To probe the mechanism of reduced SERT densities in autistic brains、we examined the postmortem brains of autistic subjects to identify any changes in the expression of SERT proteins. mRNA and protein expression of SERT protein were examined in the autistic brain and control subjects using real time PCR and Western blotting. The result showed that none of mRNA and protein expression was found to be significantly altered. Since PET tracers bind the membrane expressed SERT proteins, this finding suggests that dysregulation of protein transport, trafficking and transporter internalizing systems may underlie the reduced SERT densities in autistic brains.