Role of serotonin in human aggressive behaviour

This study aimed to evaluate a peripheral serotonergic marker, ³H-imipramine (³H-IMI) binding to platelet membranes, in a group of severely aggressive subjects (A), institutionalized since childhood for mental retardation, as compared with suicide attempters (S) and healthy controls (H). The maximum binding capacity of ³H-IMI to platelet membranes was statistically lower in (A) and (S) than in (H). In addition, a statistically significant difference was observed between the Bmax values of aggressive subjects and those of suicide attempters. No changes in the dissociation constant (Kd) of IMI binding were observed. These data provide further supporting evidence for the hypothesis of an abnormality of the 5HT system in aggressive behaviour and suggest that such an abnormality, as reflected by platelet markers, is more severe in suicide attempters. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.