Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci.  2022 May;20(2):271-278. 10.9758/cpn.2022.20.2.271.

Serotonin Modulates the Correlations between Obsessive-compulsive Trait and Heart Rate Variability in Normal Healthy Subjects: A SPECT Study with [ 123 I]ADAM and Heart Rate Variability Measurement

• Kuo CY
• Chen KC
• Lee IH
• Tseng HH
• Chiu NT
• Chen PS
• Yang YK
• Chang WH

• KMID: 2530462
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.2022.20.2.271

Abstract

Objective
The impact of serotonergic system on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is well studied. However, the correlation between OC presentations and autonomic nervous system (ANS) is still unclear. Furthermore, whether the correlation might be modulated by serotonin is also uncertain.
Methods
We recruited eighty-nine healthy subjects. Serotonin transporter (SERT) availability by [ ¹²³ I]ADAM and heart rate variability (HRV) tests were measured. Symptoms checklist-90 was measured for the OC presentations. The interaction between HRV and SERT availability were calculated and the correlation between HRV and OC symptoms were analyzed after stratified SERT level into two groups, split at medium.
Results
The interactions were significant in the factors of low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD). Furthermore, the significantly negative correlations between OC symptoms and the above HRV indexes existed only in subjects with higher SERT availability.
Conclusion
OC symptoms might be correlated with ANS regulations in subjects with higher SERT availability.

Keyword

Autonomic nervous system; Heart rate variability; Obsessive compulsive symptoms; Serotonin transporter availability