Brain monoamine oxidase A in seasonal affective disorder and treatment with bright light therapy

Author(s)

M. Spies, G.M. James, C. Vraka, C. Philippe, M. Hienert, G. Gryglewski, A. Komorowski, A. Kautzky, L. Silberbauer, V. Pichler, G.S. Kranz, L. Nics, T. Balber, P. Baldinger-Melich, T. Vanicek, B. Spurny, E. Winkler-Pjrek, W. Wadsak, M. Mitterhauser, M. Hacker, S. Kasper, R. Lanzenberger, D. Winkler

Abstract

Increased cerebral monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) levels have been shown in non-seasonal depression using positron emission tomography (PET). Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a sub-form of major depressive disorder and is typically treated with bright light therapy (BLT). The serotonergic system is affected by season and light. Hence, this study aims to assess the relevance of brain MAO-A levels to the pathophysiology and treatment of SAD. Changes to cerebral MAO-A distribution (1) in SAD in comparison to healthy controls (HC), (2) after treatment with BLT and (3) between the seasons, were investigated in 24 patients with SAD and 27 HC using [

¹¹ C]harmine PET. PET scans were performed in fall/winter before and after 3 weeks of placebo-controlled BLT, as well as in spring/summer. Cerebral MAO-A distribution volume (V

_T , an index of MAO-A density) did not differ between patients and HC at any of the three time-points. However, MAO-A V

_T decreased from fall/winter to spring/summer in the HC group (F

_{1, 187.84} = 4.79, p < 0.050), while SAD showed no change. In addition, BLT, but not placebo, resulted in a significant reduction in MAO-A V

_T (F

_{1, 208.92} = 25.96, p < 0.001). This is the first study to demonstrate an influence of BLT on human cerebral MAO-A levels in vivo. Furthermore, we show that SAD may lack seasonal dynamics in brain MAO-A levels. The lack of a cross-sectional difference between patients and HC, in contrast to studies in non-seasonal depression, may be due to the milder symptoms typically shown by patients with SAD.

Organisation(s)

Dean's office of the Faculty of Life Sciences

External organisation(s)

Medizinische Universität Wien, University of Hong Kong, Centre for Biomarker Research in Medicine – CBmed GmbH, Ludwig Boltzmann Intitute Applied Diagnostics

Journal

Translational Psychiatry

Volume

No. of pages

ISSN

2158-3188

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-018-0227-2

Publication date

09-2018

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

302054 Nuclear medicine

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Psychiatry and Mental health, Biological Psychiatry, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/5fa58596-3808-4a14-80eb-a4945d610cf8