Key result
Higher serotonin transporter availability significantly modulated the relationship between autonomic function and obsessive-compulsive traits, revealing a negative correlation between high-frequency heart rate variability and OC symptoms (r = -0.46) only in subjects with high SERT levels.
Why the study?
The correlation between obsessive-compulsive presentations and the autonomic nervous system is unclear, as is whether this correlation is modulated by serotonin.
Does serotonin transporter availability modulate the correlation between obsessive-compulsive traits and heart rate variability in healthy subjects?
Cross-Sectional (n=89)
No
Does serotonin transporter availability modulate the correlation between obsessive-compulsive traits and heart rate variability in healthy subjects?
p-value: p=0.028
In healthy subjects, higher serotonin transporter availability is associated with a significant negative correlation between obsessive-compulsive traits and parasympathetic heart rate variability indices.
Hypothesis-generating in healthy subjects; leaves open SERT modulation of HRV-OC links for clinical populations.
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: 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.
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Kuo et al. (2022) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy subjects (obsessive-compulsive traits) (n=89). Serotonin transporter (SERT) availability vs. Low SERT availability was evaluated on Interaction between high-frequency heart rate variability (ln HF) and SERT availability on obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p=0.028). Higher serotonin transporter availability significantly modulated the relationship between autonomic function and obsessive-compulsive traits, revealing a negative correlation between high-frequency heart rate variability and OC symptoms (r = -0.46) only in subjects with high SERT levels.
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