Platelet serotonin concentration and suicidal behavior in combat related posttraumatic stress disorder

Kovačić, Zrnka and Henigsberg, Neven and Pivac, Nela and Nedić, Gordana and Borovečki, Andrea (2008) Platelet serotonin concentration and suicidal behavior in combat related posttraumatic stress disorder. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 32 (2). pp. 544-551. ISSN 0278-5846

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2007.10.014

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 >/=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.

Item Type:

Article

MeSH:

Blood Platelets - chemistry ; Combat Disorders - blood - diagnosis - psychology ; Serotonin - blood ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - blood - diagnosis - psychology ; Suicide - psychology - statistics & numerical data ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Biological Markers - blood ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - statistics & numerical data ; Sex Factors ; Veterans - statistics & numerical data

Departments:

Katedra za psihijatriju i psihološku medicinu

Depositing User:

Lea Škorić

Status:

Published

Creators:

Creators	Email
Kovačić, Zrnka	UNSPECIFIED
Henigsberg, Neven	UNSPECIFIED
Pivac, Nela	UNSPECIFIED
Nedić, Gordana	UNSPECIFIED
Borovečki, Andrea	UNSPECIFIED

Date:

15 February 2008

Date Deposited:

25 Feb 2008

Last Modified:

11 Mar 2020 16:57

Subjects:

Related URLs:

Publisher

URI:

http://medlib.mef.hr/id/eprint/329

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