Jealousy and Subthreshold Psychopathology: A Serotonergic Link

Abstract

Background: A few studies suggest that different neurotransmitters may play a role in the expression of jealousy. Our study aimed to explore the serotonergic system by means of the specific binding of ³H-paroxetine (³H-Par) to platelet membranes of healthy subjects with and without excessive jealousy concerns, according to a specific self-administered questionnaire [Questionnaire for affective relationships (QAR)]. Subjects and Methods: The study sample includes 21 subjects concerned by jealousy thoughts and 21 control subjects without jealousy concerns, as shown by their QAR scores. Subjects of the first group were administered a battery of self-report instruments designed to detect the presence of typical, atypical and subthreshold psychopathology. Platelet membranes and ³H-Par binding were carried out according to standardized protocols. Results: Subjects with excessive jealousy concerns had a reduced density of ³H-Par binding as compared with control subjects without jealousy concerns and had one or more psychiatric spectrum conditions. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that excessive jealousy is associated with various forms of psychopathology and may be underlain by alteration of the serotonergic system, as reflected by the lower density of the platelet serotonin transporter.

Decreased Density of the Platelet Serotonin Transporter in Pathological Gamblers

“…A decreased functionality of the platelet SERT has been reported in a wide range of psychiatric disorders, such as depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, Parkinson's disease [36,[55][56][57][58] , and even in physiological conditions [38,39] . Nowadays, the notion that serotonergic dysfunctions underlie specific nosological categories is no longer tenable, since it is evident that they probably reflect a vulnerability towards the development of symptom clusters present in all conditions, or that they can be linked to shared dimensions which are common to different disorders.…”

“…The most intriguing data, although not conclusive, suggest that a disturbance of the 5-HT system may trigger the onset of impulsive behaviour [17,18,50] . In addition, although much research is still required, some authors have already highlighted relationships between the SERT and personality traits [58] , aggressive features [15,59] , anxiety [41] , pharmacological response [43] and emotional states [38,39,42] .…”

“…Moreover, there exist also indications of changes of SERT in healthy subjects [38,39] which have been hypothesized to be linked to particular dimensions, such as anxiety or impulsivity [15,17,26,[40][41][42] , or to antidepressant response [43] . One study only has reported a decreased density of SERT in 16 PG patients, measured by means of tritiated clomipramine [44] , but this is not a specific ligand for SERT [45] .…”

An exploratory study of the heterogeneity of the jealousy phenomenon and its associations with affective temperaments and psychopathological dimensions in a large Brazilian sample

“…Therefore, a dimensional approach has been increasingly adopted and may aid in the understanding of jealousy (Elphinston et al, 2011;Marazziti et al, 2010a;Marazziti et al, 2003b;Marazziti et al, 2010b;Pfeiffer and Wong, 1989). Marazziti et al (2010b) developed the "Questionario della Gelosia" which we will refer to as the Jealousy Questionnaire (JQ).…”

Romantic Attachment and Subtypes/Dimensions of Jealousy

“…Since the fear of losing the partner resulted to be a common feature of preoccupied, fearful-avoidant and dismissing individuals, although in this last case the statistical significance was not reached perhaps for the small number of subjects, it is concluded that it might represent the "organizer" of the jealousy phenomenon. In addition, as these attachment styles have been linked to the development of psychopathology [9,29,32,38,60], this might explain the vulnerability of some jealousy subjects to cross the border between normal and pathological conditions that may reach extreme levels of severity. In the light of the present findings, it would be interesting to replicate this study in individuals suffering from pathological jealousy.…”