High-affinity imipramine binding and serotonin uptake in platelets of eight adolescent and ten adult obsessive-compulsive patients

The authors evaluated high-affinity [³H]imipramine binding and [³H]serotonin uptake to platelets in 8 adolescent and 10 adult patients who met DSM-III criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder in comparison with those of normal control subjects of similar ages. The maximal binding of [³H]imipramine was significantly lower in adults and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder than in the control subjects. No differences between groups in the affinity of [³H]imipramine to its binding sites or in serotonin uptake kinetic measures were detected. The lower density of [³H]imipramine binding sites in platelet membrane in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder might implicate involvement of the serotonergic system or might represent an adaptive response to a chronic disease.