Platelet serotonin transporter function after short-term paroxetine treatment in patients with panic disorder.
Dysfunctions in serotonin neurotransmission have been implicated in some psychiatric disorders, and in particular, altered serotonin transporter function has been noted in panic disorder. In this study, the authors compared platelet [(3)H]serotonin uptake parameters, including maximum velocities (V(max)) and affinity constants (K(m)), in patients with panic disorder not undergoing treatment (n=21) and in healthy subjects (n=20). V(max) and K(m) values were re-examined after 12 weeks of paroxetine treatment. Values of V(max) and K(m) were lower in panic disorder patients at baseline than in healthy subjects. After treatment, K(m) normalized in panic patients, whereas V(max) did not change. A significant inverse correlation was found between increased K(m) and changes in anxiety levels. These results support a hypothesis of serotonergic transporter abnormalities in panic disorder, and suggest that increased K(m) values of platelet serotonin transporters parallel clinical improvement after short-term pharmacotherapy in panic disorder.
Kang
Eun-Ho
EH
Department of Psychiatry, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 135-710, Republic of Korea.
Shim
Hyun-Bo
HB
Kim
Kyung-Jeong
KJ
Park
Joo-Eon
JE
Lee
In-Soo
IS
Yu
Bum-Hee
BH
D000328:Adult; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors; D014316:Tritium / Q000378:metabolism
D017374:Paroxetine; D012701:Serotonin; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D014316:Tritium