Neuroimaging of serotonin transporters in post-stroke pathological crying.

Pathological crying (PC) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by an excessive tendency towards crying after brain damage. To elucidate the role of serotonin neurotransmission for PC, a pilot study was performed using single photon emission computed tomography with [123I]β-CIT to estimate central (midbrain/pons and thalamus/hypothalamus) serotonin transporter (SERT) densities in 15 stroke patients who did or did not have PC. SERT binding ratios in midbrain/pons were significantly lower in the PC subgroup.