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Cited by 175Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeuroendocrine regulation and behaviorObsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders

Alteration of the platelet serotonin transporter in romantic love

MARAZZITI, D., AKISKAL, H. S., ROSSI, A., CASSANO, G. B.·1999·Psychological Medicine
DOI 10.1017/s0033291798007946
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: The evolutionary consequences of love are so important that there must be some long-established biological process regulating it. Recent findings suggest that the serotonin (5-HT) transporter might be linked to both neuroticism and sexual behaviour as well as to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The similarities between an overvalued idea, such as that typical of subjects in the early phase of a love relationship, and obsession, prompted us to explore the possibility that the two conditions might share alterations at the level of the 5-HT transporter. METHODS: Twenty subjects who had recently (within the previous 6 months) fallen in love, 20 unmedicated OCD patients and 20 normal controls, were included in the study. The 5-HT transporter was evaluated with the specific binding of 3H-paroxetine (3H-Par) to platelet membranes. RESULTS: The results showed that the density of 3H-Par binding sites was significantly lower in subjects who had recently fallen in love and in OCD patients than in controls. DISCUSSION: The main finding of the present study is that subjects who were in the early romantic phase of a love relationship were not different from OCD patients in terms of the density of the platelet 5-HT transporter, which proved to be significantly lower than in the normal controls. This would suggest common neurochemical changes involving the 5-HT system, linked to psychological dimensions shared by the two conditions, perhaps at an ideational level.

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Crossref · 10.1017/s0033291798007946

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  • The early stages of romantic love may be linked to alterations in plasma cortisol, sex steroids, nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and decreased platelet serotonin transporter density.

    “In addition, research has shown that the early stages of romantic love may be linked to alterations in plasma levels of cortisol, sex steroids, nerve growth factor (NGF), and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (Marazziti et al., 2009), as well as decreased density of the serotonin transporter in platelets (Emanuele et al., 2006; Marazziti et al., 1999; Marazziti and Canale, 2004), suggesting”

    From Oxytocin during the initial stages of romantic attachment: Relations to couples’ interactive reciprocity (2012) · cites this paper as Marazziti et al., 1999

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Authors
MARAZZITI, D., AKISKAL, H. S., ROSSI, A., & CASSANO, G. B.
Affiliations
University of Pisa (IT)
ORCID
Venue
Psychological Medicine
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
1999-05
Volume
29
Issue
3
Pages
741-745
ISSN
  • 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-8978
DOI
10.1017/s0033291798007946
OpenAlex
W2006411360
Cited by
175
References
27
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 15
FWCI
0.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified)
Locations
  • Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
Keywords
platelet serotonin transporter, romantic love, obsessive-compulsive disorder, serotonergic system, overvalued ideas, obsession, neuroticism, sexual behavior, evolution of love
MeSH terms
Adult, Binding Sites, Biological Transport, Buffers, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Love, Male, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Serotonin, Sexual Behavior, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Paroxetine

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