Studies on human blood platelets in affective disorder

Platelets were examined to enable a simultaneous investigation to be made of indolylamine and electrolyte metabolism in affective disorder. No significant differences were detected in either platelet membrane ATPase or adenyl cyclase specific activity in any of the groups of patients studied, when compared with appropriate controls. A reduced Vmax and y for the 5-hydroxy-tryptamine uptake process into platelets was observed in both unipolar and bipolar depressed groups. The Km for this process was not significantly different in any of the patients from that found in control subjects. Lithium therapy was shown not to influence significantly any of the platelet parameters examined. It is suggested that membrane enzyme changes found in some peripheral cells in patients suffering from affective disorder, i.e. reduced Na+ + K+ - ATPase activity in erythrocytes in depression, is not common to all peripheral cells and may or may not reflect central nervous system changes.