Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24942188›Full record

ArticleAlcoholism, clinical and experimental research2014

Alcoholics have more tryptophan hydroxylase 2 mRNA and protein in the dorsal and median raphe nuclei.

Helene Bach, Victoria Arango, Suham A Kassir, Tea Tsaava, Andrew J Dwork, J John Mann, Mark D Underwood

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 31% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Selective dysregulation of serotonin dynamics in the anterior cingulate cortex and central amygdala following binge alcohol consumption.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
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  6. The role of microglia in neuropsychiatric disorders and suicide.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2022
    Review
  7. Cells · 2022
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  9. Translational Molecular Approaches in Substance Abuse Research.Handbook of experimental pharmacology · 2020
    Review
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Alcohol and violence: neuropeptidergic modulation of monoamine systems.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2015
    Review
  14. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Helene BachDepartment of Psychiatry , Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York; Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology , New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
Victoria Arango
Suham A Kassir
Tea Tsaava
Andrew J Dwork
J John Mann
Mark D Underwood
New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute · USNew York State Psychiatric InstituteColumbia University · US

Funding

THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF SUICIDAL BEHAVIORP50MH062185 · NIMH · NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE DBA RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC · PI MANN, JOSEPH JOHN · 2000 to 2009
$21.7M
POSTMORTEM NEUROCHEMICAL STUDIES IN SUICIDER01MH040210 · NIMH · WEILL MEDICAL COLLEGE OF CORNELL UNIV · PI UNDERWOOD, MARK D · 1985 to 2016
$7.0M
Golgi Studies of SchizophreniaR01MH064168 · NIMH · NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE DBA RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC · PI DWORK, ANDREW J · 2001 to 2013
$4.3M
DORSAL RAPHE NUCLEUS SEROTONIN NEURONS IN ALCOHOLISMR01AA011293 · NIAAA · NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE · PI UNDERWOOD, MARK D · 1997 to 2012
$3.7M
MONOAMINE SYSTEMS IN ALCOHOLISM AND SUICIDER01AA009004 · NIAAA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI ARANGO, VICTORIA · 1991 to 1995
–
NIAAA NIH HHS AA11293NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA009004NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA011293NIMH NIH HHS MH40210NIMH NIH HHS MH62185NIMH NIH HHS MH64168NIMH NIH HHS P50 MH062185NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH040210NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH064168
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChronic alcohol use depletes brain serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]), yet we previously found more tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2), the rate-limiting biosynthetic enzyme for 5-HT, in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) of alcoholics. We sought to determine whether the increase in amount of TPH2 enzyme is associated with more TPH2 mRNA gene expression in the DRN of a new cohort of alcoholics and controls.

methodsTPH2 mRNA and protein were measured by in situ hybridization and immunoautoradiography, respectively, in the DRN and median raphe nucleus (MRN) of age- and sex-matched pairs (n = 16) of alcoholics and nonpsychiatric controls. Alcohol use disorder diagnosis and medical, psychiatric, and family histories were obtained by psychological autopsy. Age and sex were covariates in the analyses.

resultsTPH2 mRNA in alcoholics was greater in the DRN and MRN compared to controls (DRN: controls: 3.6 ± 1.6, alcoholics: 4.8 ± 1.8 nCi/mg of tissue, F = 4.106, p = 0.02; MRN: controls: 2.6 ± 1.2, alcoholics: 3.5 ± 1.1 nCi/mg of tissue, F = 3.96, p = 0.024). The difference in TPH2 mRNA was present in all DRN subnuclei (dorsal [DRd]: 135%, interfascicular [DRif]: 139%, ventral [DRv]: 135%, ventrolateral [DRvl]: 136% of control p < 0.05) except the caudal subnucleus. Alcoholics also had more TPH2 protein in the DRN and MRN than controls (DRN: controls: 265 ± 47, alcoholics: 318 ± 47 μCi/g, F = 8.72, p = 0.001; MRN: controls: 250 ± 33, alcoholics: 345 ± 39 μCi/g, F = 7.78, p = 0.001). There is a positive correlation between TPH2 protein and mRNA expression in the DRN (r = 0.815, p < 0.001), suggesting that the higher amount of TPH2 protein is due to an increase in TPH2 gene expression.

conclusionsThese findings suggest that greater TPH2 gene expression is the basis for more TPH2 protein in the DRN and MRN in alcoholics.

Indexed as

AdultAlcoholicsAlcoholismCase-Control StudiesFemaleGene Expression Regulation, EnzymologicHumansMaleMidbrain Raphe NucleiMiddle AgedRNA, MessengerTryptophan HydroxylaseYoung AdultRNA, MessengerTPH2 protein, humanTryptophan Hydroxylase5-HydroxytryptamineFamily HistoryHumanPostmortemRapheSerotonin

Identifiers

PMID24942188
PMCPMC4107109
OpenAlexW2001842282

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.