No correlation between platelet imipramine binding and CSF 5HIAA in neurosurgical patients

Whole-blood serotonin in children and adolescents with mood and behavior disorders

Whole-blood serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) levels were measured in 118 children and adolescents with DSM-III-R mood disorders (n = 30) or behavior disorders (n = 27), a mixed group who met criteria for both mood and behavior disorders (n = 47), and a small sample of normal control subjects (n = 14). The patients were selected from consecutive admissions to an inpatient state hospital setting and the control subjects were recruited from a local high school. Levels of whole-blood 5-HT were significantly higher in the behavior disorder group (193 +/- 120) than in the mood disorder (122 +/- 83) or mixed mood and behavior (137 +/- 95) patient groups, but did not differ from control levels (170 +/- 48). A subsample of patients irrespective of diagnostic classification who had been on a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) before admission had significantly lower whole-blood 5-HT concentrations (97.8 +/- 78.4) than those in patients who had been receiving some other type of psychotropic medication at admission (159.8 +/- 109.2) and from those in unmedicated patients (161.9 +/- 101.4). The 5-HT concentrations for patients receiving non-SSRI psychotropic medications did not differ from those of unmedicated patients. The frequency analysis of 5-HT concentration by psychiatric disorder group suggests that patients with mood disorders have the lowest values (below 100 ng/ml) and patients with behavior disorders have the highest values (above 300 ng/ml). Levels in the limited sample of normal subjects were all between 100 and 300 ng/ml. These findings were not accounted for by age, sex, gender, race, or season and lend support to accumulating research on simple neurobiological indicators in blood that help to distinguish these child/adolescent psychiatric disorders from each other and from individuals without these disorders.

Platelet serotonergic markers and Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire measures in a clinical sample

A group of patients with major depressive disorder, with and without comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder, completed the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ). Harm Avoidance scores were found to be high compared to published age-matched norms and to display a significant positive correlation with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores. Platelet 125I-lysergic acid diethylamide (125I-LSD) and 3H-paroxetine binding Bmax values were measured to test Cloninger's hypothesis that Harm Avoidance scores would correlate significantly with measures of serotonergic function. A significant inverse correlation was found between Harm Avoidance scores and 125I-LSD Bmax values. Correlations between 3H-paroxetine Bmax values and TPQ scale scores were not significant. These results suggest an alternative view of the literature relating platelet 5-hydroxytryptamine-2a receptors and mood disorders in that the temperament dimension, Harm Avoidance, may explain prior inconsistencies involving links with depression and suicidality.