Dieting and weight loss in volunteers increases the number of alpha 2-adrenoceptors and 5-HT receptors on blood platelets without effect on [3H]imipramine binding.
Goodwin GM., Fraser S., Stump K., Fairburn CG., Elliott JM., Cowen PJ.
Platelet monoamine receptor binding was determined in normal male and female subjects before and at the end of a 2- to 3-week weight reducing diet (1200 kcal daily). Dieting was associated with an increase in platelet binding sites for both [3H]yohimbine and [125I]iodolysergic acid diethylamide (iodoLSD). The affinity at the platelet [125I]iodoLSD binding site was reduced. In contrast, [3H]imipramine binding was unchanged. These results have important implications for studies that employ platelet binding as a peripheral marker of neurotransmitter function in psychiatric illness.