PET IMAGING OF MU-OPIATE RECEPTORS IN DEPRESSION

正电子发射断层扫描（PET）允许在体内测量受体 在人类大脑中。 这种方法显示出巨大的希望， 深入了解情感障碍的基础，长期以来， 被认为与鸦片系统有关 最早的证据 阿片系统可能在情感的起源中起作用 疾病出现在古代，当鸦片第一次被用来治疗 萧条 几个世纪以来，这一假设得到了更多的支持。 支持，虽然大多是间接的。 最近，尸检研究，动物 人类的模型和外围测量提供了额外的证据， 抑郁症和鸦片系统之间的联系 第一次， PET提供了在生活中测量μ阿片受体的机会 受试者患有情感障碍。 初步结果是有希望的： 下额叶和上级颞叶皮层的阿片受体 严重抑郁症患者明显增加，进一步支持 阿片受体和抑郁症症状之间的关系 因此，本提案的总体目标是阐明mu的作用 情感障碍中的阿片受体 目的是：1）测量单极脑区μ阿片受体， 抑郁症患者使用11/C-卡芬太尼和PET。 假设：单相情感障碍与增加的mu 与大脑边缘相关的区域中的阿片受体， 皮质、前颞叶皮质和扣带回皮质。 2)为了确定增加的μ阿片受体与 单相情感障碍的定量临床测量。 假设：i）抑郁症的严重程度与 定量地与区域μ阿片受体的升高有关。 ii）第二阶段 经有效药物治疗后， 单极患者与局部μ阿片样物质正常化相关 受体。

Positron emission tomography (PET) allows measurement of receptors in vivo in the human brain. This method has shown enormous promise for gaining insight into the basis of affective disorders, which have long been thought to be associated with the opiate system. The earliest evidence that the opiate system may play a role in the origins of affective disorders appeared in ancient times, when opium was first used to treat depression. Over the centuries, this hypothesis gained additional support, albeit mostly indirect. More recently, autopsy studies, animal models and peripheral measures in humans have provided additional evidence for a link between depression and the opiate system. For the first time, PET provides the opportunity to measure mu-opiate receptors in living subjects with affective disorders. Preliminary results are promising: mu- opiate receptors in the inferior frontal and superior temporal cortex of severely depressed patients are significant increased, further supporting the relationship between opiate receptors and the symptoms of depression. Thus, the overall goal of this proposal is to elucidate the role of mu opiate receptors in affective disorders. The aims are: 1) To measure regional brain mu opiate receptors in unipolar depressed patients using 11/C-carfentanil and PET. HYPOTHESIS: Unipolar affective disorder is associated with increased mu opiate receptors in limbic-related brain regions such as orbital frontal cortex, anterior temporal cortex and cingulate cortex. 2) To determine the relationship of increased mu opiate receptors to quantitative clinical measurements of unipolar affective disorder. HYPOTHESES: i) The severity of depressive symptomatology correlates quantitatively with elevations in regional mu opiate receptors. ii) Improvement in clinical condition following effective drug treatment in unipolar patients correlates with a normalization of regional mu opiate receptors.