Pergamon zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Prq. NeuroPsychophamuumL &B&l Psychfat 1995. Vol. 19. pp. 375-383 Copyright 0 1995 Elsevkr Science Ltd Printed h Great Britah. All rights reserved 0278 - 5S46/95 $29.00 0278~5846( 95)000 19-4 zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVU PLATELET MARKERS IN SUICIDE ATTEMPTERS DONATELLA MARAZZITI, SILVIO PRESTA, STEFANO SlLVESTRI, ALFRED0 BATTISTINI, LUCA MOSTI, CLAUDIO BALESTRI, LIONELLA PALEGO and LUCIANO CONTI Institute of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy (Final form, April 1994) Abstract L Marazziti, Donatella, Silvio Presta, Stefano Silvestri, Alfred0 Battistini, Luca Mosti, Claudio Balestri, Lionella Palego and Luciano Conti: Platelet markers in suicide attempters. Prog. Neuro- Psychopharmacol. & Biol. Psychiat. 1995, 19(3): 375-383. 1. The authors measured 3H-imipramine (3H-IMI) binding and serotonin (SHT) uptake parameters as well as sulphotransferase activity in platelets of suicide attempters. 2. Platelet 3H-IMI binding sites and 5HT uptake are related to similar sites and processes present in the brain, and sulphotransferase (ST) is an enzyme involved in the catabolism of cathecholamines. 3. The results showed the presence of a decreased density of both 3H-IMI binding and of 5HT uptake sites, with no change in ST activity in suicide attempters, as compared with healthy controls. 4. The reduced 3H-IMI binding and 5HT uptake may be related to a hypofunction of presynaptic serotonergic mechanisms which might be altered in suicidal behavior. Kevwords: 3H-imipramine binding, platelets, serotonin, serotonin uptake, suicide attempt, sulphotransferase. Abbreviations: Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), 5hydroxyindoleacetic acid (SHIAA), 3H-imipramine binding (3H-IMI), Scala di Autovalutazione della Depressione (SAD), serotonin (5HT), sulphotransferase (ST), themrolabile (TL), thermostable (TS). Introduction One of the most replicated findings in biological psychiatry is the linking a decreased functionality of serotonin (5HT) and of the serotonergic system to the abnormality of aggressive behaviours, including suicide. An inverse relationship between the major 5HT metabolite, 5hydroxyindoleacetic acid (SHIAA) levels and past history of suicide attempts has been reported by several groups in depressed patients (Asberg et al., 1976), but also in suicide attempters, other than those that were depressed (Castels et al., 1979; van Praag, 1983) in violent offenders (Linnoila et al., 1983), and in subjects suffering from personality disorders characterized by aggressive traits (Brown and Goodwin, 1986; Virkkunen et al., 1987; Coccaro, 1989). A common strategy for investigating the serotonergic system in periphery is represented by the 375