Lihua Sun, Tuulia Malén, Jouni Tuisku, Valtteri Kaasinen, Jarmo A Hietala, Juha Rinne, Pirjo Nuutila, Lauri Nummenmaa
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Brain functional and physiological plasticity is essential to combat dynamic environmental challenges. The rhythmic dopamine signaling pathway, which regulates emotion, reward and learning, shows seasonal patterns with higher capacity of dopamine synthesis and lower number of dopamine transporters during dark seasons. However, seasonal variation of the dopamine receptor signaling remains to be characterized.
Methods: Based on a historical database of healthy human brain [11C]raclopride PET scans (n = 291, 224 males and 67 females), we investigated the seasonal patterns of D2/3 dopamine receptor signaling. Daylength at the time of scanning was used as a predictor for brain regional non-displaceable binding of the radiotracer, while controlling for age and sex.
Results: Daylength was negatively correlated with availability of D2/3 dopamine receptors in the striatum. The largest effect was found in the left caudate, and based on the primary sample, every 4.26 h (i.e., one standard deviation) increase of daylength was associated with a mean 2.8% drop (95% CI -0.042 to -0.014) of the receptor availability.
Conclusions: Seasonally varying D2/3 receptor signaling may also underlie the seasonality of mood, feeding, and motivational processes. Our finding suggests that in future studies of brain dopamine signaling, especially in high-latitude regions, the effect of seasonality should be considered.
期刊介绍:
The European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging serves as a platform for the exchange of clinical and scientific information within nuclear medicine and related professions. It welcomes international submissions from professionals involved in the functional, metabolic, and molecular investigation of diseases. The journal's coverage spans physics, dosimetry, radiation biology, radiochemistry, and pharmacy, providing high-quality peer review by experts in the field. Known for highly cited and downloaded articles, it ensures global visibility for research work and is part of the EJNMMI journal family.