Marazziti D, Muratori F, Cesari A, Masala I, Baroni S, Giannaccini G, Dell'Osso L, Cosenza A, Pfanner P, Cassano G B
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, Italy.
Pharmacopsychiatry. 2000 Sep;33(5):165-8. doi: 10.1055/s-2000-7588.
Various data have shown the involvement of serotonin (5-HT) in autism. The presence of the 5-HT transporter in platelets, similar to the same structure located in presynaptic serotonergic neurons, has produced a series of studies aimed at assessing its functionality in this disorder, but the ensuing findings are quite controversial. For this reason, we investigated the 5-HT transporter by means of the specific binding of [3H]-Paroxetine ([3H]-Par), which is currently considered the first-choice ligand for labeling it, in platelets of 20 autistic children and adolescents, as compared with healthy control subjects.
Twenty children and adolescents of both sexes suffering from autism according to DSM IV criteria were included in the study and compared with a similar group of healthy control subjects. Platelet membranes and the binding of [3H]-Par were carried out according to standardized protocols.
The results showed a significantly higher density of [3H]-Par binding sites in autistic children than in healthy control subjects.
These findings support the presence of a serotonergic dysfunction in autism and would suggest that the 5-HT transporter may have a specific role in this disorder, also in the light of its recently proposed role in brain development.
多项数据表明血清素（5-羟色胺，5-HT）与自闭症有关。血小板中5-HT转运体的存在与突触前血清素能神经元中的结构相同，这引发了一系列旨在评估其在该疾病中功能的研究，但随后的研究结果颇具争议。因此，我们通过[3H] - 帕罗西汀（[3H] - Par）的特异性结合来研究20名自闭症儿童和青少年血小板中的5-HT转运体，[3H] - Par目前被认为是标记该转运体的首选配体，并与健康对照受试者进行比较。
根据DSM-IV标准，将20名患有自闭症的儿童和青少年纳入研究，并与一组类似的健康对照受试者进行比较。按照标准化方案进行血小板膜制备和[3H] - Par的结合实验。
结果显示，自闭症儿童中[3H] - Par结合位点的密度显著高于健康对照受试者。
这些发现支持自闭症中存在血清素能功能障碍，并表明5-HT转运体可能在该疾病中具有特定作用，鉴于其最近在大脑发育中提出的作用。
