Autoradiographic Analysis of α1-Noradrenergic Receptors in the Human Brain Postmortem

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Abstract
• In vitro quantitative autoradiography of α1-noradrenergic receptors, using tritiated prazosin as a ligand, was performed on 24 human brains postmortem. Twelve brains were obtained from suicide victims and 12 from matched controls. We found significant lower binding to α1receptors in several brain regions of the suicide group as compared with matched controls. This decrease in receptor density was evident in portions of the prefrontal cortex, as well as the temporal cortex and in the caudate nucleus. Age, sex, presence of alcohol, and time from death to autopsy did not affect prazosin binding, in our sample, as measured by autoradiography.