| Popis: |
Intense interest in serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) stems from the involvement of this biogenic amine in an extraordinary range of physiological functions. (See, for example, the five-volume series edited by Essman, 1977–1979.) Most tissues and organs are affected by 5-HT, either through serotonergic neurons or following its release from blood platelets and other non-neuronal sites. Both platelets and serotonergic neurons have mechanisms for the active uptake of 5-HT, and the platelet has become a model for studying aspects of the regulation of 5-HT levels. The discovery that platelets of endogenously depressed patients have a decreased number of high-affinity binding sites for [3H]-imipramine (Briley et al., 1980; Paul et al., 1981) has kindled research on the imipramine binding site, and this site is now thought to effect a modulation of 5-HT uptake (Wennogle and Meyerson, 1983, 1985; Meyerson et al., submitted). |
