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Autoradiographic Demonstration of Increased α 2 ‐Adrenoceptor Agonist Binding Sites in the Hippocampus and Frontal Cortex of Depressed Suicide Victims
Author(s) -
González Antonio M.,
Pascual Julio,
Meana J. Javier,
Barturen Fernando,
Del Arco Carmen,
Pazos Angel,
GarcíaSevilla Jesús A.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.1994.63010256.x
Subject(s) - hippocampus , depression (economics) , agonist , dentate gyrus , psychology , medicine , cortex (anatomy) , endocrinology , psychiatry , neuroscience , receptor , economics , macroeconomics
To examine directly in the brain the status of α 2 ‐adrenoceptors in major depression, the specific binding of the agonist [ 3 H]UK 14304 was measured by quantitative receptor autoradiography in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of suicide victims (n = 17) with a retrospective diagnosis of depression (n = 7) or other psychiatric disorders (n = 10) as well as of matched control subjects (n = 9). In suicide victims, a significant increase in the number of α 2 ‐adrenoceptors was found in the CA1 field (40%) and dentate gyrus (20%) of the hippocampus and in the external layers I (33%) and II (31%) of the frontal cortex, compared with that in matched controls. In depressed suicide victims, the increase in α 2 ‐adrenoceptors in the CA1 field (57%) was significantly greater (24%, p < 0.05) than that observed in the group of suicide victims with other diagnoses (26%). In the same depressed suicide victims, the increase in cortical α 2 ‐adrenoceptors was restricted to layer I (34%) and it was equivalent to that found in layer I (33%) of suicide victims with other diagnoses. The results indicate that suicide is associated with increases in the high‐affinity state of brain α 2 ‐adrenoceptors and that there is a pronounced localized increase of this inhibitory receptor in the hippocampus of depressed suicide victims.