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The platelet serotonin transporter in primary headaches
Author(s) -
Bendtsena L.,
Mellerup E.T.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
european journal of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.881
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1468-1331
pISSN - 1351-5101
DOI - 10.1046/j.1468-1331.1998.530277.x
Subject(s) - aura , medicine , platelet , serotonin , migraine , pathophysiology , endocrinology , migraine with aura , headaches , serotonin transporter , receptor , surgery
Serotonin (5‐HT) plays a major role in the pathophysiology of primary headaches. The presynaptic 5‐HT uptake mechanism, which is important for the regulation of 5‐HT levels in the neuronal synapses, can be examined indirectly by measuring the number of 5‐HT transporters in membranes from platelets. The aim of the present study was to investigate the platelet 5‐HT transport system in patients with primary headache disorders. B max , an index of the number of platelet 5‐HT transporters, was measured in 40 patients with chronic tension‐type headache, in 30 patients with migraine without aura, and in 40 healthy controls using a binding analysis with tritiated paroxetine as the ligand. The B max was 664 (589–846) (median (quartiles)) fmol/mg protein in patients with tension‐type headache and 662 (534–781) fmol/mg protein in healthy controls, P = 0.40. The B max was 675 (558–747) fmol/mg protein in patients with migraine, which was not significantly different from the B max in controls, P = 0.94. In conclusion, the present results indicate that the number of platelet 5‐HT transporters is normal in patients with chronic tension‐type headache and in patients with migraine without aura.