SEROTONIN RECEPTORS IN SUICIDE VICTIMS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION

Serotonin(1A) (5-HT1A) and serotonin(2A) (5-HT2A) receptors in the bra in have been implicated in the pathophysiology of suicide. Brain sampl es were collected at autopsy from suicide victims with a current episo de of major depression and matched comparison subjects who died of nat ural or accidental causes. Retrospective psychiatric assessments were collected from knowledgeable informants for all suicide victims and mo st of the comparison subjects. Psychiatric diagnoses were deterlnineli according to DSM-III-R criteria. Any subjects with current psychoacti ve substance use disorders were excluded. Quantitative receptor autora diography was used in serial sections of the right prefrontal cortex ( area 10) and hippocampus to measure the binding of [H-3]8-hydroxy-2-(d i-n-propyl)-aminetetralin ([H-3]8-OH-DPAT) to 5-HT1A receptors and [H- 3]ketanserin to 5-HT2A receptors. Analysis of covariance was used to c ompare control subjects and suicide victims with major depression. The age of subjects, the time from death to freezing the tissue (postmort em internal), and the storage time of tissues in the freezer were used as covariates in the analyses. There were no significant differences between suicide victims with major depression and comparison subjects in 5-HT1A, or 5-HT2A receptors in area 10 of the right prefrontal cort ex or the hippocampus. The current results suggest that the number of 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors in the right prefrontal cortex (area 10) o r hippocampus are not different in suicide victims with major depressi on. (C) 1997 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology [Neuropsychop harmacology 16:162-173, 1996]