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Platelet 3H-imipramine binding sites in obsessive-compulsive behavior.
S W Kim1, M W Dysken, G N Pandey
1Department of Psychiatry, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN 55414.
Biological Psychiatry
|September 1, 1991
Summary
This study found no significant differences in imipramine binding sites on platelets between patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and healthy controls. This suggests OCD
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Serotonergic dysfunction is implicated in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- Platelet imipramine binding sites are a marker for serotonergic activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate platelet 3H-imipramine binding sites in drug-free patients with OCD compared to controls.
- To explore the role of serotonergic function in the pathophysiology of OCD.
Main Methods:
- Quantified platelet 3H-imipramine binding sites (Bmax and Kd) in 24 OCD patients and 23 healthy volunteers.
- Utilized 3H-imipramine as the binding ligand in a drug-free baseline period.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were observed in the maximum number of binding sites (Bmax) between OCD patients and controls.
- Apparent dissociation constant (Kd) values also showed no significant differences between the groups.
- Results align with some previous studies but contrast with others reporting decreased binding in OCD.
Conclusions:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder's serotonergic abnormalities may not involve imipramine binding sites on platelets.
- Further research is needed to investigate other potential serotonergic mechanisms, such as serotonin uptake, in OCD.