PLATELET SEROTONIN UPTAKE IS HIGHER IN EARLY-ONSET THAN IN LATE-ONSET ALCOHOLICS

• Published in: Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford) Vol. 35; no. 4; pp. 390 - 393
• Main Authors: Javors, Martin, Tiouririne, Mohamed, Prihoda, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.07.2000; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Adult; Age of Onset; Alcoholism; Alcoholism - blood; Alcoholism - epidemiology; Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Platelets; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Serotonin - blood; Toxicology; Human; Ethanol; Serotonin; Toxicity; Alcoholism; Biological transport; In vitro; Conveyor; Uptake; Blood; Blood plasma; Platelet; Dependence; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0735-0414; 1464-3502; 1464-3502
• DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/35.4.390

The main objective of this study was to compare platelet serotonin (5-HT) uptake between early-onset alcoholics (EOA) and late-onset alcoholics (LOA). Subjects were 24 dependent male alcoholic in-patients and 21 healthy control subjects. 5-HT uptake was quantified by incubating platelets with [3H]5-HT at various concentrations (0.5 to 1000 nM). 5-HT uptake was higher in EOA, compared to both the LOA and control groups (P < 0.02) at the highest 5-HT concentration (1000 nM). No significant difference was found between LOA and controls or between EOA + LOA and controls. Previous studies have shown that 5-HT uptake was higher in platelets, lymphocytes, and brain of alcoholics vs controls, but our data suggest that higher platelet serotonin transporter function is limited to EOA, not LOA.