Decreased platelet imipramine binding in Tourette syndrome children with obsessive-compulsive disorder

[3H]Imipramine binding to blood platelets was assessed in eight untreated Tourette syndrome (TS) children, nine drug-free TS children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and nine age-matched and gender-matched control subjects. The density of [3H]imipramine binding sites in TS + OCD patients was significantly lower compared with TS-OCD patients (28%) as well as when compared with controls (31%). This alteration was not accompanied by differences in the affinity of the binding site to the ligand. The decreased density of the platelet serotonin "transporter" might implicate the involvement of the serotonergic system in the pathophysiology of OCD in TS patients, but not in TS per se.