SEROTONIN TRANSPORTER BINDING-SITES AND MESSENGER-RNA LEVELS IN DEPRESSED PERSONS COMMITTING SUICIDE

The serotonin transporter (5-HTT) has been found altered in postmortem brain samples from persons committing suicide, but the results of rad ioligand binding studies have been inconsistent. In the present series of experiments, autoradiographic radioligand binding and in situ hybr idization techniques were utilized to examine 5-HTT function in the br ains of 8 depressed subjects who had committed suicide, and matched co ntrols. It was hypothesized that depressed subjects would demonstrate decreased numbers of 5-HTT binding sites and mRNA; however, [I-125]RTI -55 binding to the 5-HTT was not different in the midbrain, hippocampu s, or frontal cortex of depressed subjects. Also, 5-HTT mRNA levels in dorsal and median raphe nuclei were not different between controls an d depressed subjects. The current results, although limited in scope b ecause of the small number of subjects included, offer no evidence tha t alterations in the 5-HTT occur in pertinent brain regions of depress ed individuals. (C) 1997 Society of Biological Psychiatry.