Matthews BA, Kish SJ, Xu X, Boileau I, Rusjan PM, Wilson AA, DiGiacomo D, Houle S, Meyer JH. Greater monoamine oxidase a binding in alcohol dependence.
Biol Psychiatry 2014;
75:756-64. [PMID:
24269057 PMCID:
PMC4942263 DOI:
10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.10.010]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2013] [Revised: 09/18/2013] [Accepted: 10/07/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Alcohol dependence (AD) is a multiorgan disease in which excessive oxidative stress and apoptosis are implicated. Monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) is an important enzyme on the outer mitochondrial membrane that participates in the cellular response to oxidative stress and mitochondrial toxicity. It is unknown whether MAO-A levels are abnormal in AD. We hypothesized that MAO-A VT, an index of MAO-A level, is elevated in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during AD, because markers of greater oxidative stress and apoptosis are reported in the brain in AD and a microarray analysis reported greater MAO-A messenger RNA in the PFC of rodents exposed to alcohol vapor.
METHODS
Sixteen participants with alcohol dependence and 16 healthy control subjects underwent [(11)C]-harmine positron emission tomography. All were nonsmoking, medication- and drug-free, and had no other past or present psychiatric or medical illnesses.
RESULTS
MAO-A VT was significantly greater in the PFC (37%, independent samples t test, t₃₀ = 3.93, p < .001), and all brain regions analyzed (mean 32%, multivariate analysis of variance, F₇,₂₄ = 3.67, p = .008). Greater duration of heavy drinking correlated positively with greater MAO-A VT in the PFC (r = .67, p = .005) and all brain regions analyzed (r = .73 to .57, p = .001-.02).
CONCLUSIONS
This finding represents a new pathological marker present in AD that is therapeutically targetable through direct inhibition or by novel treatments toward oxidative/pro-apoptotic processes implicated by MAO-A overexpression.
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