Ionotropic glutamate receptor binding in the posterior cingulate cortex in schizophrenia patients

Using quantitative autoradiography, the present study examined ionotropic glutamatergic receptor binding sites using [3H]dizocilpine, [3H]alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate, and [3H]kainate in the posterior cingulate cortex of schizophrenia patients and matched controls. We found a significant increase in [3H]dizocilpine binding in the superficial layers (41%, p<0.001) and deep layers (30%, p=0.004) of the posterior cingulate cortex in the schizophrenia group compared with controls. No significant differences were observed in [3H]alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate and [3H]kainate binding. In summary, the present study has for the first time demonstrated that the glutamatergic system is affected in the posterior cingulate cortex in schizophrenia patients. The fact that only the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor densities are significantly altered suggests that this is unlikely to be caused by a simple decrease in glutamatergic transmission.