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Are Striatal Dopamine D 4 Receptors Increased in Schizophrenia?
Author(s) -
Reynolds Gavin P.,
Mason Sarah L.
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.1471-4159.1994.63041576.x
Subject(s) - dopamine , neuroscience , dopamine receptor , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , receptor , dopamine receptor d3 , dopamine receptor d2 , psychology , medicine , psychiatry
The density of dopamine D 2 ‐like receptors was determined using [ 3 H]emonapride binding in putamen tissue taken postmortem from schizophrenic subjects and matched controls. A 72% increase in number of these receptors was identified in the schizophrenics, although three patients not receiving antipsychotic drug treatment before death exhibited receptor densities in the control range. Displacement of 1 n M [ 3 H]emonapride binding by raclopride was used to define the contribution of the D 4 subtype of dopamine receptors to total [ 3 H]emonapride binding. No evidence was obtained for the presence of D 4 receptors in putamen tissue from either control or schizophrenic subjects, indicating that the increase in D 2 ‐like receptor density in schizophrenia is due not to an increase in number of D 4 sites in the disease, but to an up‐regulation of D 2 or D 3 receptors probably induced by chronic treatment with antipsychotic drugs.