ISSN:
1432-2072
Keywords:
Serotonin-1 (5-HT1) binding site
;
Serotonin-1A (5-HT1A) binding site
;
Human postmortem brain
;
Suicide
;
Depression
;
Antidepressant drug
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract 5-HT1 and 5-HT1A binding sites were measured in brain tissue obtained at postmortem from 19 suicides, with definite evidence of depression, and 19 sex and age-matched controls. Thirteen of the depressed suicides had not been prescribed psychoactive drugs recently (drug-free suicides); six had been receiving antidepressant drugs, alone or in combination with other drugs (antidepressant-treated suicides). No significant differences were found in the number or affinity of 5-HT1 and 5-HT1A binding sites in frontal or temporal cortex between drug-free suicides and controls. The number of 5-HT1 sites was significantly lower (by 20%), affinity unaltered, in hippocampus and the affinity significantly lower (by 33%), number unaltered, in amygdala of drug-free suicides than controls. The number of 5-HT1 binding sites tended to be higher and the affinity lower in the antidepressant-treated compared to drug-free suicides, and significantly so in hippocampus. The present results, together with our previous studies, provide no evidence of altered cortical 5-HT markers in depressed suicides, but further emphasise abnormalities in the hippocampus.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02247138
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