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The Correlation Between Mid-Brain Serotonin Transporter Availability and Intelligence Quotient in Healthy Volunteers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

P.Y. Tseng ,
I.H. Lee ,
K.C. Chen ,
P.S. Chen ,
N.T. Chiu ,
W.J. Yao ,
C.L. Chu ,
T.L. Yeh  and
Y.K. Yang
P.Y. Tseng
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
I.H. Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
K.C. Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University, Dou-Liou Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan
P.S. Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University, Dou-Liou Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan
N.T. Chiu
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
W.J. Yao
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
C.L. Chu
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
T.L. Yeh
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
Y.K. Yang*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
*
*Corresponding author. Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, 138, Shen Li Road, 704 Tainan, Taiwan. Tel.: +886 6 2353535x5213; fax: +886 6 2084767. E-mail address:ykyang@mail.ncku.edu.tw (Y.K. Yang).
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Abstract

Purpose:

This study was performed to investigate the association between the mid-brain serotonin transporter (SERT) availability and intelligence quotient (IQ).

Methods:

One hundred and thirteen healthy participants, including 52 male and 61 female subjects, were recruited. We used SPECT with [123I]ADAM images to determine the SERT availability in the mid-brain, and measured the subjects’ IQ using the WAIS-R.

Results:

We found a significant positive correlation between the mid-brain SERT availability and the IQ of the participants. Even when controlling for age and sex, the significant association still existed.

Conclusion:

This result implied that the higher the SERT binding in the mid-brain, the better the IQ in healthy participants.

Keywords

Serotonin transporter availabilityIntelligence quotientCognitive function[123I]ADAMSPECT
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , February 2015 , pp. 193 - 197
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2014

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