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Article
September 1991

α1-Noradrenergic Receptor Binding in Suicide Victims-Reply

Author Affiliations

Department of Neurobiology Weizmann Institute of Science 76100 Rehovot, Israel

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1991;48(9):860. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1991.01810330084016

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Abstract

In Reply.—  Dr Menkes correctly points out the potential effects of antidepressants on prazosin binding in the brains of humans. We have, therefore, performed analyses of antidepressant drugs in the brains used in our study, and have used only drug-free brains, except the ones affected by alcohol, as stated in the "Subjects and Methods" section of the article.Dr Menkes also questioned the blindness of the rater to the identity of the rated sample. In this case, "rating" is an unbiased method of measurement with high interobserver reliability that does not allow for subjective judgment. In this study, the "rater" was "blind" to the identity of the subjects.Dr Menkes also questioned the statistical validity of the reported results. We performed 67 independent comparisons (not 84 as quoted by Dr Menkes, as the measurement of a whole cortical gyrus is not independent of the measurement of its parts/layers). By presetting α at

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