Serotonin uptake in panic disorder and agoraphobia.

Because of reports of reduced serotonin uptake in depression and the frequent association between panic disorder and depression, this study was designed to assess the neurobiologic relationship between panic disorder and depression. Platelet serotonin uptake studies were done on 47 patients with panic disorder, 17 patients with primary major depression, and 15 healthy volunteers. The authors found that the rate of uptake of serotonin to platelets (Bmax) was significantly lower in both the depressed and panic disorder groups than the healthy control group. The panic disorder patients with a present or past history of major depression had slightly higher values than the panic disorder patients without such a history.