Brain May Be Important Factor In Heart Disease - CME Teaching Brief - MedPage Today

APS: Brain May Be Important Factor In Heart Disease - CME Teaching Brief - MedPage Today: " * Explain to interested patients that this small preliminary study suggests low serotonin activity may influence behaviors such as smoking or physical inactivity that predispose one to atherosclerosis.

* Inform patients who ask that studies have yet to demonstrate that current anti-depressant treatments can reduce risk for atherosclerosis.

Review
DENVER, March 6 - Brains that make less serotonin appear to have thicker arteries, a preclinical sign of cerebrovascular disease, investigators reported here.

Low serotonin levels explain why some people make lifestyle choices that put them at risk for atherosclerosis, such as smoking and physical inactivity, said Matthew F. Muldoon, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Pittsburgh at the American Psychosomatic Society meeting.

Or, he added, poor lifestyle choices may drive down serotonin levels in the brain, affecting the neurotransmitter's role in modulating blood pressure, metabolism, and appetite.

But either way, this study is the first to show a connection between serotonin and hardening of the arteries, Dr. Muldoon said.

The study included 244 healthy, non-depressed volunteers between the ages of 30 and 55 with no clinical signs of vascular disease. Half were men, and most were white. The researchers measured participant's/.../"