@article{ref1,
title="Platelet serotonin concentration and suicidal behavior in combat related posttraumatic stress disorder",
journal="Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology and biological psychiatry",
year="2008",
author="Kovacic, Z. and Henigsberg, Neven and Pivac, Nela and Nedic, Gordana and Borovecki, Andrea",
volume="32",
number="2",
pages="544-551",
abstract="Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious and global problem, a psychiatric disorder that frequently occurs with different comorbidities, and is associated with a high suicide rate. Pathophysiologically, both PTSD and suicidal behavior are related to disturbances in the central serotonergic system. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) controls emotional behavior, anxiety, impulsivity and aggression, and nearly all known antidepressants and antianxiety drugs affect 5-HT transmission. Platelet 5-HT can be used as a limited peripheral marker of the central serotonergic synaptosomes, since it is related to particular basic psychopathological characteristics of several psychiatric disorders. Platelet 5-HT concentration has been reported to be similar in PTSD subjects and healthy controls, but suicidal patients across different psychiatric diagnoses have reduced platelet 5-HT concentration. This study examined platelet 5-HT concentration by the spectrofluorimetric method in male subjects: 73 suicidal and 47 non-suicidal veterans with current and chronic combat related PTSD, 45 suicidal and 30 non-suicidal comparative non-PTSD subjects and 147 healthy men. The presence of suicidal behavior (score=0, non-suicidal; scores > or =1, suicidal) was assessed with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HDRS). Platelet 5-HT concentration was significantly lower in suicidal PTSD and non-PTSD patients compared to non-suicidal patients or healthy controls. Since the majority of patients scored very low on item 3 of HDRS, no significant correlation between suicidal scores and platelet 5-HT concentration was found. These results show that reduced platelet 5-HT concentration is related to suicidal behavior in PTSD, and suggest that platelet 5-HT concentration might be used as a peripheral marker to predict suicidal behavior across psychiatric diagnoses.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0278-5846",
doi="10.1016/j.pnpbp.2007.10.014",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2007.10.014"
}