Sex differences in [ 11 C]ABP688 binding: a positron emission tomography study of mGlu5 receptors

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to assess, in a large sample of healthy young adults, sex differences in the binding potential of [¹¹C]ABP688, a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer selective for the metabotropic glutamate type 5 (mGlu5) receptor.

Methods

High resolution [¹¹C]ABP688 PET scans were acquired in 74 healthy volunteers (25 male, 49 female, mean age 20 ± 3.0). Mean binding potential (BP_ND = f_ND * (B_avail / K_D)) values were calculated in the prefrontal cortex, striatum, and limbic regions using the simplified reference tissue model with cerebellar grey matter as the reference region.

Results

[¹¹C]ABP688 BP_ND was significantly higher in men compared to women in the prefrontal cortex (p < 0.01), striatum (p < 0.001), and hippocampus (p < 0.05). Whole-brain BP_ND was 17% higher in men. BP_ND was not related to menstrual phase in women.

Conclusions

Binding availability of mGlu5 receptors as measured by PET [¹¹C]ABP688 is higher in healthy men than women. This likely represents a source of variability in [¹¹C]ABP688 studies and could have relevance for sex differences in cognitive-behavioral functions and neuropsychiatric disorders.

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