Citation

Musshoff F, Menting T, Madea B. Forensic Sci. Int. 2004; 142(2-3): 211-219.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.forsciint.2004.02.023

PMID

15172080

Abstract

In a medicolegal study the postmortem serotonin (5-HT) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations were determined in routine autopsies using a high performance liquid chromatographic procedure with electrochemical detection. There was no correlation between 5-HT concentrations and age, sex or blood alcohol concentration using a postmortem delay < or = 3 days. In suicides the suboccipital CSF concentrations were significantly decreased compared to the levels measured in the control group (8.55+/-5.99 ng/ml versus 20.15+/-13.56 ng/ml). Additionally, a decrease of 5-HT was found in the suboccipital CSF of opiate fatalities (15.56+/-13.52 ng/ml). The results support the hypothesis that decreased 5-HT concentrations in the CSF are characteristic in suicides. However, due to a rather broad overlapping of values between suicides and controls the results failed to define a possible cut-off level in the 5-HT CSF concentration to distinguish between a suicidal and a non-suicidal incident.

Language: en

Keywords

Adult; Case-Control Studies; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Electrochemistry; Female; Forensic Medicine; Free Radical Scavengers; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Narcotics; Occipital Lobe; Serotonin; Suicide