Brain 5-HT1 binding sites in depressed suicides.
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.
Cheetham
S C
SC
Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, St. George's Hospital Medical School, London, UK.
Crompton
M R
MR
Katona
C L
CL
Horton
R W
RW
D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000737:chemistry; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000737:chemistry; D003863:Depression / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000737:chemistry*; D013405:Suicide
D011985:Receptors, Serotonin