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Platelet cytosolic calcium hyperresponsivity to serotonin in patients with hypertension and depressive symptoms

J S Delisi1, L M Konopka, K Russell

  • 1Biological Psychiatry Section, Hines VA Hospital, Illinois, USA.

Biological Psychiatry
|July 1, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Depression increases cardiovascular risk. This study found depressed patients have heightened platelet reactivity, indicated by greater calcium release when stimulated by serotonin, potentially explaining depression's negative impact on heart health.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Neuroscience
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Depression is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.
  • The mechanisms linking depression to increased cardiovascular risk are under investigation.
  • Platelet function alterations may play a role in this association.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the responsivity of platelet cytosolic calcium concentrations to serotonin stimulation in hypertensive patients with and without depressive symptoms.
  • To explore the relationship between depressive symptomatology and platelet reactivity.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized Fura-2 loaded platelets to measure changes in intracellular calcium levels (delta [Ca++]i).
  • Compared serotonin-stimulated platelet calcium responses in 48 hypertensive patients with varying degrees of depressive symptomatology.

Main Results:

  • Patients with higher depression scores exhibited significantly greater increases in platelet cytosolic calcium concentrations ([Ca++]i) upon serotonin stimulation.
  • A dose-response relationship was observed between depression severity and enhanced platelet calcium signaling.

Conclusions:

  • Enhanced platelet reactivity in patients with depressive symptoms may mediate the adverse cardiovascular effects of depression.
  • These findings suggest platelet hyperactivity as a potential mechanism linking depression and cardiovascular disease.
Abstract

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