beta2 Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor availability in post-traumatic stress disorder

• Published in: The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 419 - 424
• Main Authors: Czermak, Christoph, Staley, Julie K, Kasserman, Sue, Bois, Frederic, Young, Theresa, Henry, Shannan, Tamagnan, Gilles D, Seibyl, John P, Krystal, John H, Neumeister, Alexander
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.05.2008
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Azetidines; Brain - anatomy & histology; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - metabolism; Female; Humans; Iodine Radioisotopes; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Pyridines; Receptors, Nicotinic - metabolism; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnostic imaging; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - metabolism; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon - methods; Trauma Severity Indices
• DOI: 10.1017/s1461145707008152
• ISSN: 1461-1457

Availability of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors containing beta2 subunits (beta2-nAChRs) was studied in unmedicated, symptomatic patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and healthy control subjects, all current non-smokers. A subgroup of participants had a history of smoking. Availability of beta2-nAChRs in the mesiotemporal cortex, prefrontal cortex, thalamus and striatum was determined using the radiotracer [123I]5-IA-85380 ([123I]5-IA) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). PTSD symptoms were assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Never-smoking PTSD patients compared to never-smoking healthy controls showed significantly higher [123I]5-IA binding in the mesiotemporal cortex (ANOVA: F=6.21, d.f.=1, 11, p=0.030). Among all PTSD patients, there was a significant correlation between the re-experiencing symptom cluster and thalamic [123I]5-IA binding (R2=0.66, p=0.019, Bonferroni corrected). These findings not only suggest an involvement of beta2-nAChRs in the pathophysiology of PTSD but also raise the possibility that this receptor may be a novel molecular target for drug development.