Abstract
Cerebral serotonin metabolism has an important but controversial role in obesity. However, it is not given enough attention in morbidly obese young adults. We used single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with [I-123]-labeled 2-((2-((dimethylamino)methyl)phenyl)thio)-5-iodophenylamine (ADAM) to investigate changes in serotonin transporter (SERT) availability in 10 morbidly obese young adults without an eating disorder (M/F = 5/5, body mass index (BMI): 40.3 ± 4.1 kg/m2, percentage of body fat (BF%): 46.0 ± 3.9%) and 10 age- and sex-matched non-obese controls (BMI: 20.3 ± 1.2 kg/m2, BF%: 20.6 ± 8.9%). All participants underwent SPECT at 10 min and 6 h after an injection of 200 MBq of [I-123]-ADAM. The SERT binding site (midbrain) was drawn with cerebellum normalization. The BF% and fat distribution were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The midbrain/cerebellum SERT binding ratios (2.49 ± 0.46 vs. 2.47 ± 0.47; p = 0.912) at 6 h were not significantly different between groups, nor was the distribution of the summed images at 10 min (1.36 ± 0.14 vs. 1.35 ± 0.11; p = 0.853). There were no significant correlations between midbrain/cerebellum SERT binding ratio and age, BMI, BF%, or fat distribution. No significant difference in SERT availability in the midbrain between morbidly obese and non-obese young adults without an eating disorder indicates an unmet need for investigating the role of cerebral serotonin in obesity.
Highlights
MethodsTen morbidly obese young people (M/F = 5/5; mean age: 24.8 ± 4.9 years; mean body mass index (BMI): 40.3 ± 4.1 kg/m2) were recruited from the programmed weight management outpatient clinic in a tertiary care medical center [24]
Obesity and its associated comorbidities, e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, cancer, and mortality, are an ongoing healthcare problem in Asia [1] and worldwidePLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0170886 February 9, 2017Serotonin and obesity
Except for the body mass index (BMI), BF%, and fat distribution, there were no significant differences in sex or age distribution between non-obese and morbidly obese participants (Table 1)
Summary
Ten morbidly obese young people (M/F = 5/5; mean age: 24.8 ± 4.9 years; mean BMI: 40.3 ± 4.1 kg/m2) were recruited from the programmed weight management outpatient clinic in a tertiary care medical center [24]. Exclusion criteria were a history of psychiatric or Serotonin and obesity neurological disease, head trauma with loss of consciousness for more than 30 min, undertreated hypertension, diabetes, or medical conditions that might have altered their cerebral functioning, using anorexic medications or surgical procedures for weight loss in the previous 6 months, using any systemic medications in the previous 4 weeks, smoking or alcohol or other substance abuse, participating in a trial for weight control in the previous 12 months, and a high risk of eating disorders based on SCOFF questionnaires (a screening tool for eating disorders) [25]. Ten age- and sex-matched non-obese healthy volunteers (mean age: 22.8 ± 1.6 years; mean BMI: 20.3 ± 1.2 kg/m2) were enrolled as the control group. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of National Cheng Kung University Hospital (IRB: NCKUH-92-21), and all participants provided written informed consent before the study began
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