The asymmetry [correction of asymetry] of 3H-imipramine binding may predict psychiatric illness
Demeter, E.; Tekes, K.; Majorossy, K.; Palkovits, M.; Soos, M.; Somogyil, E.
Acta Medicinae Legalis et Socialis 39(2): 451-452
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0065-1397 PMID: 2562501 Document Number: 338106
The Bmax and Kd values for 3H-imipramine binding were measured in post-mortem human brains from drug-free selected psychiatric subject homicide victims (n = 15) and normal controls (n = 15). The two groups were comparable in age and gender. The number of imipramine binding sites (Bmax) in the frontal cortices of psychiatric subjects had significantly higher Bmax values in the left hemisphere than in the right hemisphere. Inversely, the number of imipramine binding sites (Bmax) in the frontal cortices of normal controls were significantly higher in the right brain than in the left brain. It was postulated that the inhibiting effect of central serotonin (5-HT) has weakened in psychiatric cases, therefore the change of presynaptic serotonergic activity might be associated with psychiatric illness in the left hemisphere of human brain.