Frontal decortication decreases the affinity of N-(1-[2-thienyl]cyclohexyl)[3H]piperidine binding to rat striatum

Bilateral ablation or transection of the corticostriatal pathways of the rat caused a reduction in N-(1-[2-thienyl]cyclohexyl)[3H]piperidine ([3H]TCP) binding to the striatum at 5-7, but not 3 and 14-28, days postlesion with a persistent decrease in striatal glutamate content 3-28 days after the decortication. This reduction was found to be due to an increase in Kd without changes in Bmax of the [3H]TCP binding. The present findings suggest that interruption of striatal glutamatergic transmission following frontal decortication may produce a temporal reduction in the affinity of phencyclidine receptor in the striatum.