Serotonin Changes in Platelets and Brain Induced by Small Daily Doses of Reserpine

Abstract

THE role of the vasoconstrictor material in platelets has long been of interest to a number of investigators. As early as 1912 the concept was advanced that the vasoconstrictor released from platelets when blood coagulates might participate in the mechanism of hemostasis by its direct constriction of vascular smooth muscle surrounding the clot.1 The isolation of the vasoconstrictor substance from serum by Rapport, Green and Page2 and its identification as 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) has reopened interest in the function of the platelet material and has stimulated recent attempts to determine whether this substance fulfills the requirements of a hemostatic agent. Correll . . .