Background: Traumatic experiences in early childhood are associated with increased risk for developing mood and anxiety disorders later in life. Low serotonin1A receptor (5-HT1AR) density during development has been proposed as a trait-like characteristic leading to increased vulnerability of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders.
Methods: To assess the relationship between early-life stress and alterations in the serotonin system during development, we used positron emission tomography to measure in vivo 5-HT1AR density and apparent dissociation constant (KDapp) in the brain of juvenile Rhesus monkeys exposed to the early-life stress of peer-rearing....
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