Monoamine oxidase a and serotonin transporter imaging with positron emission tomography

Abstract

Serotonin has a major role in neural circuits of mood regulation, substance abuse, and neurodevelopment. Although they differ in cellular and anatomical location, the two brain proteins most strongly implicated in influencing serotonin levels are monoamine oxidase A and the serotonin transporter. The advances in positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand development to image these two proteins have been applied considerably over the past 15 years, greatly increasing our knowledge about fundamental processes in many important, impactful conditions including major depressive disorder, early postpartum, perimenopause, cigarette smoking, alcohol dependence, aggressive behavior, antidepressant development, ecstasy abuse, obsessive compulsive disorder, and seasonal affective disorder as reviewed in this chapter.