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Serotonin transporter availability correlates with alcohol intake in non-human primates

Abstract

A low level of alcohol intoxication upon initial exposure and impulsive aggressiveness predispose humans to alcoholism. In non-human primates, central serotonin transporter availability and turnover rate were associated with aggressive behavior and a low response to initial alcohol exposure. We assessed the respective effects of these factors on alcohol intake in a free choice paradigm. Serotonin transporter availability in the raphe area, the origin of central serotonergic projections, was measured with single-photon emission computed tomography and the radioligand [123I]β-CIT in 11 rhesus monkeys with low and high central serotonin turnover. The amount of alcohol intake in the 3-month observation period was positively correlated with serotonin transporter availability (R=0.76, P=0.006), but not with aggressiveness (R=0.19, P=0.6) or alcohol response upon first exposure (R=−0.48, P=0.2). In a linear multiple regression analysis with serotonin transporter availability, alcohol response, and aggressiveness as independent variables, 82% of the variance of alcohol intake was explained and serotonin transporter availability emerged as the only statistically significant factor (β=7.81, P=0.006). These observations indicate that there may be a direct relationship between serotonin transporter availability and alcohol intake after controlling for aggression and alcohol response on first exposure.

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Acknowledgements

This work was inspired by Markku Linnoila, who died in 1999. Parts of this study were supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (He 2597/7-1).

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Correspondence to A Heinz.

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Heinz, A., Jones, D., Gorey, J. et al. Serotonin transporter availability correlates with alcohol intake in non-human primates. Mol Psychiatry 8, 231–234 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001214

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