Human serotonin transporter availability predicts fear conditioning

• Serotonin is important for fear conditioning in animals.
• Human serotonin transporter availability was related to autonomic index of fear conditioning.
• Serotonin transporter availability in the amygdala, insula and ACC was inversely related to fear conditioning.

Serotonin facilitates fear learning in animals. We therefore predicted that individual differences in the capacity to regulate serotonergic transmission in the human neural fear circuit would be inversely related to fear conditioning. The capacity to regulate serotonergic transmission was indexed by serotonin transporter availability measured with [11C]-DASB positron emission tomography. Results indicate that lower serotonin transporter availability in the amygdala, insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex predicts enhanced conditioned autonomic fear responses. Our finding supports serotonergic modulation of fear conditioning in humans and may aid in understanding susceptibility for developing anxiety conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.