Citation

Marazziti D, Baroni S, Masala I, Golia F, Consoli G, Massimetti G, Picchetti M, Dell'osso MC, Giannaccini G, Betti L, Lucacchini A, Ciapparelli A. Neuropsychiatr. Dis. Treat. 2010; 6: 9-15.

Affiliation

Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Dove Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

20169041

PMCID

PMC2951061

Abstract

The present study explored the possible relationships between impulsivity, gender, and a peripheral serotonergic marker, the platelet serotonin (5-HT) transporter (SERT), in a group of 32 healthy subjects. The impulsivity was measured by means of the Barratt Impulsivity Scale, version 11 (BIS-11), a widely used self-report questionnaire, and the platelet SERT was evaluated by means of the specific binding of (3)H-paroxetine ((3)H-Par) to platelet membranes, according to standardized protocols. The results showed that women had a higher BIS-11 total score than men, and also higher scores of two factors of the same scale: the motor impulsivity and the cognitive complexity. The analysis of the correlations revealed that the density of the SERT proteins, as measured by the maximum binding capacity (B(max)) of (3)H-Par, was significantly and positively related to the cognitive complexity factor, but only in men. Men showed also a significant and negative correlation with the dissociation constant, Kd, of ((3)H-Par) binding, and the motor impulsivity factor. These findings suggest that women are generally more impulsive than men, but that the 5-HT system is more involved in the impulsivity of men than in that of women.

Language: en