The serotonin transporter in the midbrain of suicide victims with major depression.
BACKGROUND
The involvement of serotonin in depression and suicide has been proposed, because major depression is successfully treated by medications that specifically block the serotonin transporter, and there is evidence for a decrease in serotonin transporters in major depression and suicide. The midbrain dorsal raphe nucleus (DR) has been implicated as a site for diminished serotonergic activity in that suicide victims with major depression have a significant increase in serotonin-1A autoreceptors in the DR.


METHODS
[(3)H]Paroxetine was used to label the serotonin transporter in the subnuclei of the DR at several rostral-to-caudal levels of the midbrain in ten pairs of suicide victims with major depression and age-matched psychiatrically normal control subjects.


RESULTS
There was a significant increase in serotonin transporters in the entire DR progressing from rostral-to-caudal levels in both normal control subjects and suicide victims with major depression. At comparable rostral-to-caudal levels, there were no significant differences in [(3)H]paroxetine binding between depressed suicide victims and normal control subjects in either the entire DR or its constituent subnuclei.


CONCLUSIONS
The pathophysiology of serotonin mechanisms in suicide victims with major depression does not appear to involve alterations in the binding of [(3)H]paroxetine to the serotonin transporter in the midbrain DR.
Bligh-Glover
W
W
Department of Pathology, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, OH, USA.
Kolli
T N
TN
Shapiro-Kulnane
L
L
Dilley
G E
GE
Friedman
L
L
Balraj
E
E
Rajkowska
G
G
Stockmeier
C A
CA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001345:Autoradiography; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017374:Paroxetine; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D013405:Suicide
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D017374:Paroxetine; D012701:Serotonin; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human