The effect of age on serotonin uptake sites labeled with [³H]pa-roxetine was studied in two sets of brains. The first set included 28 subjects (19 males and 9 females) between the ages 0 and 100 years. The cortex of cingulate gyrus and the amygdala were studied. No age-related changes in binding capacity (B_max) or binding affinity (K_d) were noted. In the second set, the frontal cortex and hypothalamus from 22 subjects (18 males and 4 females) between 16 and 75 years were studied. No age-related changes in the binding were observed. The interval between death and freezing of the tissue did not influence the binding. Regarding the [³H]paroxetine binding as an indirect marker for 5-HT terminals, the data suggest a stability of 5-HT terminals with increasing age in the human brain.

The binding of [³H]nipecotic acid to GABA uptake sites was studied in post mortem human frontal cortex from 17 suicide victims and 21 controls without known neurological or psychiatric disorder. The suicide victims were subclassified according to the use of violent or non-violent methods and to the presence or absence of a known history of a depressive disorder. No difference was found between the suicide victims and the controls with regard to [³H]nipecotic acid binding to GABA uptake sites (B_max) and apparent affinity (K_d). No differences were found either with regard to method of suicide or whether a depressive symptom existed or not. The binding of [³H]nipecotic acid to GABA uptake sites was also studied in post mortem human frontal cortex with regard to aging. The age of the subjects ranged from 16 to 84 years. No significant difference in either B_max or K_d was found. The present findings suggest that the GABA uptake sites in the human frontal cortex are not subjected to regulation or degenerative changes in conditions investigated.

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