PET brain imaging with [11C](+)McN5652 shows increased serotonin transporter availability in major depression.

Background: Alterations in the brain serotonin (5-HT) system have been found in patients with depression. We used the selective 5-HT transporter site ligand [11C](+)McN5652 and positron emission tomography (PET) to examine the hypothesis that alterations in 5-HT transporter levels may be present in selected regions of the brain in depressed patients.

Methods: Four drug free depressed patients and four healthy control subjects were studied using [11C](+)McN5652 and PET.

Pindolol does not augment cortisol and prolactin responses to paroxetine in healthy subjects.

Objective: Animal studies have shown that pindolol augmentation of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may act through inhibition of 5-HT(1A) autoreceptors in the raphe. The combination of pindolol plus a SSRI produces increased synaptic 5-HT levels that are greater than those achieved with a SSRI alone. However, it is unclear whether this actually occurs in humans, and clinical studies of pindolol augmentation have produced inconsistent results.

Short-term fluoxetine monotherapy for bipolar type II or bipolar NOS major depression - low manic switch rate.

Objectives: Current guidelines for the initial treatment of bipolar type II (BP II) major depressive episode (MDE) recommend using either a mood stabilizer alone or a combination of a mood stabilizer plus a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI). This recommendation is the result of concern over antidepressant-induced manic switch episodes. However, recent evidence suggests that the manic switch rate may be low in BP II MDE during SSRI therapy.

Antidepressant monotherapy for bipolar type II major depression.

Objectives: Bipolar type II (BP II) disorder is thought to be distinct from BP I disorder on genetic and biological grounds, and it is not merely a milder form of the illness. It affects 1.5-2.