Suicides Have Elevated Serotonin, 5-HIAA, And Lower Serotonin Turnover

[meatbag]

Elevated serotonin and 5-HIAA in the brainstem and lower serotonin turnover in the prefrontal cortex of suicides.
-Elevated Serotonin and 5-HIAA in the Brainstem and Lower Serotonin Turnover in the Prefrontal Cortex of Suicides
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Bach, Helene; Huang, Yung-Yu; Underwood, Mark D; Dwork, Andrew J; Mann, J John; Arango, Victoria.
Synapse; 68(3): 127-30, 2014 Mar.
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*5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) is the main metabolite of serotonin. In chemical analysis of urine samples, 5-HIAA is used to determine serotonin levels in the body. (5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid - Wikipedia)
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Higher 5-HT in rostral brainstem was consistent with the greater number of 5-HT synthesizing neurons in the midbrain. 5-HT correlated with 5-HIAA along the rostrocaudal axis (r = 0.837, p = 0.001) of the raphe nuclei measured. Compared with nonpsychiatric control cases, suicides had four times as much total 5-HT (nonpsychiatric controls: 271 ± 58 vs. suicides: 1091 ± 280 picomoles/mg protein, t = -2.87, p = 0.017) and 1.5 times more 5-HIAA (nonpsychiatric controls: 4158 ± 534 vs. suicides: 6404 ± 898 picomoles/mg protein t = -2.15, p = 0.05). The difference in 5-HT between controls and suicides was present throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the brainstem samples (Figure 1; F = 95.9, p < 0.0001). The differences in 5-HT and 5-HIAA amounts in suicides and controls were independent of age and postmortem interval (p > 0.05). The sample size was too small to determine a relationship of MDD or other Axis 1 diagnoses to either 5-HT or 5-HIAA. To index 5-HT turnover, we calculated the ratio of 5-HIAA to 5-HT. The 5-HIAA:5-HT ratio in the brainstem was 15.3 in controls and 5.9 in suicides (co-varying for age and sex, t = 2.76, p = 0.02).

 

[JudiBlueHen]

Very interesting. I had a sister with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder and she was hospitalized in the state psychiatric hospital for 9 months. During that time they were trying to find a medication cocktail that would work for her, but many meds actually made her worse. I did not know about serotonin and especially serotonin syndrome at that time, and I now suspect that was causing her to be completely mad. She would scream, hit her head, do crazy things and sometimes had to be restrained - none of these behaviors were "normal" for her. Outside of a hospital, she could very well have harmed herself and in fact did try to commit suicide once at a younger age.

Looking at relatives and family history, I think there are "familial tendencies" toward excess serotonin, or at least inability to metabolize a normal amount. I know I was analyzed as having excess 5-HIAA but fortunately escaped the major mental illnesses.

 

[Mauritio]

Levels of serotonin receptor 2A higher in suicide victims? - PubMed

Levels of serotonin receptor 2A higher in suicide victims?

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Higher expression of serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptors in the postmortem brains of teenage suicide victims - PubMed

The evidence indicates higher levels of 5-HT(2A) receptor, protein, and mRNA expression in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, which have been implicated in emotion, stress, and cognition. There was no higher level in the nucleus accumbens, which has been implicated in drug dependence and...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov