Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism
April 30, 2014
Anders Ettrup, Sofi Da Cunha‐bang, Brenda Mcmahon et al.
106 citations
A new radioactive tracer, [11C]Cimbi-36, was tested in 29 healthy volunteers for brain imaging using PET scans. This tracer binds to serotonin 2A receptors, which are involved in mood and perception, and is an agonist, meaning it activates the receptor rather than blocking it. High uptake in the brain matched known locations of these receptors. A two-tissue compartment model using arterial blood samples gave the most accurate measurements. In five subjects given a blocker drug (ketanserin), tracer binding decreased in cortical areas but not in the cerebellum, confirming the tracer's specificity and that the cerebellum can serve as a reference region. This is the first agonist PET radioligand to successfully image these receptors in humans.
Archives of General Psychiatry
June 6, 2011
David Erritzøe, Vibe G. Frøkjær, Klaus K. Holst et al.
86 citations
MDMA use, but not hallucinogen use, is linked to changes in the brain's presynaptic serotonin system. Because hallucinogens primarily act on serotonin 2A receptors, the negative association between MDMA use and serotonin transporter (SERT) binding is likely due to MDMA's direct presynaptic effect rather than its serotonin 2A agonistic actions. Cross-sectional data suggest that subcortical, but not cortical, SERT binding may recover after several months of MDMA abstinence.
Journal of Nuclear Medicine
October 18, 2010
Anders Ettrup, Mikael Palner, Nic Gillings et al.
50 citations
A radiolabeled agonist tracer, (11)C-CIMBI-5, was developed for PET imaging of the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor in the brain. In vitro assays showed CIMBI-5 is a high-affinity agonist at the 5-HT2A receptor. Ex vivo rat studies demonstrated a specific binding ratio of 0.77 ± 0.07 in the frontal cortex, which was reduced to cerebellar levels after ketanserin treatment, indicating selective binding. PET studies in pigs revealed a cortical binding potential of 0.46 ± 0.12 and a target-to-background ratio similar to the antagonist tracer (18)F-altanserin. Ketanserin treatment reduced cortical binding to cerebellar levels, confirming selective in vivo binding. (11)C-CIMBI-5 is a promising tool for investigating 5-HT2A agonist binding in the living human brain.
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
February 14, 2014
Vibe G. Frøkjær, David Erritzøe, Klaus K. Holst et al.
19 citations
Prefrontal serotonin transporter binding is positively associated with the cortisol awakening response, a measure of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis output, in both MDMA users and non-users. MDMA users showed a significantly higher cortisol awakening response than non-users. The findings suggest that the inhibitory control on HPA-axis output is less efficient after recent MDMA use, likely through mechanisms beyond those compensated by reduced serotonin transporter levels.