286. 5-HT2A receptors in depression pre/post paroxetine

Abstract

It has been proposed that 5-HT2A receptors may play a role in selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate 5-HT2A receptors in depression before and after treatment with paroxetine. 14 depressed subjects were recruited. Exclusion criteria for patients included antidepressant medication use within 6 months, a history of suicide attempts within the past five years, other current axis I disorders including bipolar disorder, and the presence of psychotic symptoms. Using [F]setoperone and positron emission tomography (PET), 5-HT2A receptor binding potential was assessed within the prefrontal, parietal, temporal and occipital cortex before and after six weeks of treatment with paroxetine at 20 mg/day. Using repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance, the change in 5-HT2A receptor binding potential was analyzed in all regions. No significant changes were found, (F1,13 5 1.015, p 5 0.3). This negative finding suggests that there is not a homogenous change in 5-HT2A receptor binding potential after paroxetine treatment in depression. Further work in a larger sample will examine the relationship of treatment response to 5-HT2A receptor binding potential changes.