Neuroimaging
The distribution of the serotonin transporter in the brain may be imaged with positron emission tomography using radioligands called DASB and DAPP, and the first studies on the human brain were reported in 2000. DASB and DAPP are not the only radioligands for the serotonin transporter. There are numerous others, with the most popular probably being the β-CIT radioligand with an iodine-123 isotope that is used for brain scanning with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The radioligands have been used to examine whether variables such as age, gender or genotype are associated with differential serotonin transporter binding. Healthy subjects that have a high score of neuroticism — a personality trait in the Revised NEO Personality Inventory — have been found to have more serotonin transporter binding in the thalamus.
Read more about this topic: Serotonin Transporter