title: Correlations for serotonin levels and measures of mood in a nonclinical sample.
abstract: The Beck Depression Inventory is frequently used to detect depression and its severity because depression is a prevalent mood disorder and is commonly treated by prescription of selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac. The importance of serotonin (5-HT) in the treatment of major depression is evident but the nature of this involvement is unclear. In this study, the characteristics of platelets are employed as a peripheral model of the neuron to estimate central serotonergic activity, which is a consequence of numerous factors including 5-HT2 receptor sensitivity. The greater the sensitivity of the platelet serotonin receptors, the lower the concentration of serotonin required to mobilise a particular amount of calcium from internal stores through serotonin stimulation. Hence, Platelet 5-HT2 receptor sensitivity is inferred from the concentration of serotonin that is required to produce half maximal intracellular calcium mobilisation (EC50). In the present study, the correlation of -.422 between scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and EC50 in a sample of 49 university students was significant, implying that mood is significantly related to 5-HT2 receptor sensitivity, such that increases in depressed mood are accompanied by increases in 5-HT2 receptor sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Witwatersrand 2050, South Africa. davepe@yebo.co.za
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Peirson
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Heuchert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012016:Reference Values; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin